City hall’s administrative review officers (ARO) have had an easy job managing public concerns during the past few years because residents have submitted zero complaints that required mediation.
During the Feb. 14 regular council meeting, ARO Saundra Arberry submitted her annual report for 2021. Her term as ARO started Feb. 1, 2021 and expires Dec. 31, 2022.
"It was a very quiet year," she said.
Her report showed no public complaints were received or referred by city hall that needed the ARO’s decision. Moreover, there have been zero public complaints or city referrals for the past couple of years.
As the ARO, she investigates and reports on matters about the administration of the city, any agency of the city, or any controlled corporation of the city, she explained. Upon conclusion of an investigation, she can make recommendations to council, but elected officials must make a final decision in the matter.
Besides being Moose Jaw’s ARO, Arberry — who worked in the Northwest Territories for 25 years — is also the deputy registrar of lobbyists and chief executive officer for the Conflict of Interest Commissioner for Saskatchewan. She noted that her husband’s family is the McCulloughs and a community baseball diamond is named after his grandfather.
During the meeting, council voted unanimously to receive and file the report.
“We’re glad that we don’t often have much work for her to do,” joked city manager Jim Puffalt.
The city seeks to provide exceptional customer service and spends considerable time and effort to resolve all complaints, he added. When the city cannot resolve a complaint and believes it has administered its bylaws, policies, and regulations correctly, it refers the complaint to the ARO for an external review as an additional check on the system.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 28.
