Requested city financial information 'not directly available'

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• Requested city financial information 'not directly available'
• Skakun won’t get requested information
• Skakun wants city financial answers
• Council moves on liquor requests
• Information sought on dead bear
• Transparency motion quashed

The mayor’s office has little to say about Coun. Brian Skakun’s notice of motion seeking detailed financial information on a handful expenditures.

“The notice of motion provided will be received on Monday evening and Prince George city council will discuss the issue at our January 21 meeting,” said Mayor Shari Green in a statement issued through her executive assistant Beverley Smith.

Acting city manager Kathleen Soltis said the statement of financial information, where Skakun found the expenditures he is querying, is readily available on the city’s website. However, details about those expenditures are not.

“The information is not directly available, but what you can find is information concerning vendors the city has used where the vendor was paid more than $25,000 in the year,” she said. “There is a 22-page report by myself, signed off by the mayor and I. Starting on page 15 it has individual suppliers. The report gives the gross amount paid to the vendors over the year.

“The information  he’s asking for is what makes up each amount.”

Though Soltis could direct any of the public to this report, available on-line, she reiterated the breakdown of what makes up each amount is not readily available.

In his notice of motion, Skakun is asking:

• Why Prince George has authorized the expenditures of $29,960.00 to Cressman Sakamoto Agency;

• $32,979.40 to Picketts Consulting;

• $33,341.00 to GAKJRW Inc. and disclose who the  principals of the company are;

• $43,883.90 to Anthem Kimco Shopping Center;

• $631,980.31 to L&M Engineering;

• $88,988.58 to BWP Consulting;

• $85,322.33 to Number 188 Holdings and disclose who the principals of the company are.

• That administration provide information to individual city councillors if requested by them to clarify why the city has spent funds from businesses listed in the annual City of Prince George Financial Information Statement of Individual Suppliers.