BC Municipalities Need an Auditor General

While provincial and federal governments are held accountable for the effectiveness of their spending through the role of the auditor general, there is no such role in the municipal and regional level of government in BC.

Kamloops has among the highest water and sewer rates in the province. In fact, for every $1 in city taxes, the average homeowner in Kamloops pays an additional 61 cents for water and sewer.

The fact that Kamloops water and sewer rates are among the highest in the province is nearly impossible for the average taxpayer to know based on the City of Kamloops on-line 2008 Budget Review. In this review document, the Kamloops taxes are compared to other cities, but no equivalent comparison is done for the water and sewer charges. Transparency, the hallmark of good accounting practises, is ignored.

With a budget of $129 million, the City of Kamloops might not on its own be able to justify a position of auditor general. However, provincially, the Union of BC Municipalities collectively has budgets exceeding $1.57 billion.

After income taxes and GST/PST, city taxes and utilities are the largest portion of taxes and utilities that we pay. As such, we as taxpayers should demand equivalent accountability from local levels of government as at the provincial and federal levels.