A former member of Maple Ridge city council is criticizing Mayor Dan Ruimy and some members of the current council, calling them the “Overspenders Club.”
Chelsa Meadus posted on social media that three councillors overspent what she said were their annual expense limits of $5,000 – Ahmed Yousef $5,683, Jenny Tan $5,667, and Korleen Carreras $5,172.
She also said Mayor Dan Ruimy overspent his $6,500 limit with a $15,264 tab.
Ruimy defended himself and council, saying Meadus is misinterpreting the spending policy, because the limit she cited is only for conferences and training, but the expense total includes cell phone charges and other expenses not related to that policy.
He also questioned whether the former councillor, who now works for MP Marc Dalton, should be publicly critical of local government when she has a position with the member of parliament.
Meadus told The News the last council under Mayor Mike Morden was more frugal. If they spent on one conference, they would cut back on another, she said.
“Right now, everyday people are challenged to pay rent and buy food,” said Meadus. “It’s time to be fiscally responsible.”
Meadus said she continues to pay attention to issues at city hall “on behalf of the public.”
The council expenses report lists descriptions of each councillor’s charges to the city. For example, Carreras’ expenses for the Union of BC Municipalities Convention are $2,800. The 2023 convention ran from Sept. 18-22 in Vancouver. Another expense she listed was $98 for the Celebrating Women in Business event, and $25 for the Chamber of Commerce end of summer barbecue.
Ruimy listed $8,000 for conferences and seminars, plus another $5,700 for expenses in advocacy – including trips to lobby for Bus Rapid Transit and city transportation projects.
Ruimy defended the advocacy work, noting Maple Ridge got one of just three BRT lines TransLink is building, chosen from among nine proposed corridors, in part because TransLink wanted to work with cities that were willing partners.
“Everybody has a right to ask, and everything is transparent,” said Ruimy. “The $6,500 is specifically for conferences, that’s what we use that for, and it’s important to network, and she knows that.”
“Going to Victoria and to Ottawa to advocate for our city is not part of those expenses, but it’s something that needs to be done to get the things that we desperately need here in Maple Ridge.”
Coun. Ahmed Yousef said the funds were spent responsibly, and said “her characterization was completely erroneous.”
“It wasn’t spent on over-indulgences,” he said, saying he would be willing to fund any “overspending.”
“I’m happy to pay that in cash to the city, and be done with it.”
A statement from city spokesperson Pardeep Purewal said the city’s commitment to transparency means expenses are reported annually in the Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) including those for council expenses.
Under a policy adopted in 2014, council has a budget for conferences, training and networking, with limits of $5,000 for council, and $6,500 for the mayor.
The expense reporting that Meadus referred to includes additional items that do not count towards limits, including cellphone expenses and intergovernmental or advocacy meetings and trips.
In practice, each year’s limits can be accumulated and allocated over the full term of council, she noted. So a councillor is able to overspend one year, and spend less in the next, during their four-year term.
She also noted the limits of $5,000 and $6,500 have not been reviewed since the initial adoption of the policy.
“This policy is under review and annual limits will be addressed to meet current market pricing,” she said.
She said a full account of council’s expenses for 2023 is coming.
A review of past years’ council expenses shows some councillors having spent more than $5,000 for the year.
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