The bad behaviour of Westlock County councillors and administration reported over the last several years has infected office culture, according to the 116-page municipal inspection report.
From fights within council chambers to councillors threatening county staff, that has all been documented in the report written by inspectors Shari-Anne Doolaege and Ted Gillespie and reviewed by Alberta Municipal Affairs.
“Council passed a Code of Conduct Bylaw in March 2016 and then ironically, within the next month in April 2016, a physical alteration occurred between two council members in council chambers,” Doolaege said. “This level of improper conduct seemed to be a low point that was left in the past where it belongs, since aggression was not observed among council members in 2017.”
Misunderstood roles
The report indicated that staff frequently encountered councillors who overstepped their governance roles and became involved with administrative matters.
Coun. Bud Massey informed inspectors that he did address public works and office staff on several occasions while he was reeve between March and April 2014, but that was done at the request of staff.
Some staff in the report said they felt their jobs were threatened in these meetings with Massey.
“Coun. Massey indicated that during these meetings he shared a message that: there would be changes in the organization, the need for a unified vision, that drug testing would be implemented, and that ‘good and productive employees have no reason for job insecurity,” the report said.
Inspectors also heard that Massey asked some staff to act as confidential agents, like a mole within organization, though he said that everyone has made “significant mistakes in judgement during this term, myself included … I want the truth to come out and I’m not trying to whitewash my actions.”
Office culture/bad behaviour
On the other hand, councillors raised concerns about staff issues involving theft, personal use of county equipment and work schedules.
The report noted that 2014 was an especially rough year for staff and tension continued to escalate. Inspectors said an observer of a council meeting saw councillors yell at an employee who felt “crucified.”
On another occasion, Coun. Mel Kroetsch took offence to a report from a department director because it was unbalanced and showed more positives than negatives.
“He offered a sharp comment to the director in a public meeting to ‘Balance it, OK!’” the report said.
When Kroetsch later talked to inspectors, he said he was worried that administration was trying to sweep shortcomings under the carpet.
The report observed that this was one example of a prevalent negative culture rather than one that celebrates successes and hard work of county employees.
Demeaning behaviour and disrespectful treatment of staff continued to bear bad fruit throughout most of the term, the report said, and as councillors delved into staffing issues, a “culture of council-against-staff emerged.”
County managers also shared that they had limited involvement in policy reviews, under former-CAO Peter Kelly, that impacted their department and were met with surprises like a “draconian” dress code, though the report didn’t elaborate.
At the same time, the report found councillors lost confidence in administration and sought their own answers.
One councillor said: “I sit at home and collect a salary and have nothing to do. Council is not informed; I have no idea what is going on. I have no work now.”
A lack of communication from administration on projects fed into that frustration, as did employee actions, like one staff member parking a county truck outside of a local hotel one evening. The report mentioned that elements of suspicion and a lack of trust between council and administration are still present in 2017.
Inspectors encouraged better training on roles and responsibilities on both sides and that Human Resources expertise be sought to do a policy review.
Outside the office
The report also observed some overlap with what was said in council chambers, confidential in-camera sessions, and publicly.
“We heard that in-camera sessions were not always kept in confidence by council members,” inspector Doolaege said. “We also observed that some council members did not full switch gears to keep matters in confidence after coming out of in camera or closed portions of meetings.”
Inspectors heard that councillors allegedly discussed in-camera matters and other sensitive details at restaurants, which were overhead by the public.
Councillors are legally obligated under the Municipal Government Act to keep these conversations private.
Outside of council chambers, Kroetsch was highlighted in the report for constructing a building without a development permit.
At another time, Kroetsch built a pole shed without a permit and because its purpose wasn’t clear to planning and development staff, they reached out to him via compliance notices. Superior Safety Codes Inc. issued him an order this past June to comply.
However, the report said when he did reply, staff took it to be aggressive and rude.
“Coun. Kroetsch told the inspectors that his actions were not meant to be aggressive in no way, shape or form; and that he came into the office and told a Planning staff member ‘that they could stop sending me nasty letters.’”
After the CAO stepped in, Kroetsch apologized to an employee but told inspectors he wouldn’t apologize to other Development staff “because they are wrong.”
But Kroetsch wasn’t the only councillor under the microscope as in 2015 the county fire department responded to an emergency call of burning grass and trees.
Coun. Dennis Primeau showed up and reportedly spoke to the fire chief in “foul, threatening language,” saying he had an “F-ing permit.” Turns out the permit was for a different site.
Primeau told inspectors that he “probably shouldn’t have told (him) to go back to town.”
SDAB rules
Inspectors noticed an irregular matter from January 2015 where the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) appointed a chairperson on the condition that then-CAO Peter Kelly take on the board’s secretary role.
Meeting minutes show board member Howard Ringstad would take over as chairperson if Kelly were appointed.
The report found SDAB members had no authority to do this, as the SDAB Bylaw states county council must appoint the secretary.
That same month, director of planning and community services Laurie Strutt wrote an e-mail to Kelly that said that as a manager, she was disappointed to have been dismissed throughout the whole process.
“I should have had the opportunity to discuss these points with the SDAB and to also have read a portion of the legal opinion prepared for me by our lawyer,” Strutt wrote.
