David Foley’s final report as administrative review officer (ARO) for the City of Moose Jaw was easy to write since he received zero complaints from residents in 2020.
Foley — whose two-year term as ARO finished on Dec. 31, 2020 — submitted his report for the Feb. 16 regular city council meeting; council voted unanimously to receive and file the document.
The ARO received zero public complaints last year and zero referral complaints from city hall, which is similar to how 2019 looked, Foley’s report indicated. Meanwhile, the administrative review officer received one public complaint and one referral complaint from city hall in 2018.
The position operates similarly to an ombudsman who gives complainants an avenue to air their concerns when they feel that city administration has not appropriately managed their concerns. This is a process followed when there is no other form of appeal is available to the complainants.
Council recently appointed Saundra Arberry as the newest administrative review officer, with a term expiring Dec. 31, 2022.
The municipality attempts to provide “exceptional customer service” and spends time and effort to resolve all complaints, a council report explained. When the city cannot resolve a complaint and believes it has administered its bylaws, policies and regulations correctly, it will refer the complaint to the ARO for an external review as an extra check on the system.
The council report added that the provincial ombudsman reviewed an administrative matter last year — concerns by homeowner Carter Currie about a run-down, empty home adjacent to him — and found that the municipality “acted fairly in the application of its laws.”
City administration plans to meet with Arberry on Feb. 18 during an introductory meeting to assure her that city hall fully supports her, city manager Jim Puffalt told council. When residents lodge concerns — which are rare, he noted — city administration wants to ensure they are handled right.
“With the level of where our administrative review officer is, we’ve always made that recommendation, that if people have a challenge or it cannot be resolved, we’ve got this independent body (that can handle it),” Mayor Fraser Tolmie said after the meeting.
Tolmie then thanked Foley for his work as the ARO for many years in the community, pointing out Foley was fair while handling past concerns. The mayor indicated that he and city hall would reach out to the former ARO to laud him for his efforts.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 8.
