Auditor should have been given second chance says one alderman
A month after Calgary’s auditor released a damning report of the city’s contract-tendering process and suggested fraud was happening at city hall Calgary council has fired her.
In a near unanimous vote city councillors said the firing of auditor Tracy McTaggart had nothing to do with the report but rather it was because a recent external review determined her office failed to meet several international auditing standards. The review also noted there was “significant friction” between the auditor’s office and administration.
There were also concerns about the so-called low number and poor quality of audits being done by McTaggart’s office and that the auditor viewed herself as a “watchdog.”
But Ald. Andre Chabot the only council member who voted against McTaggart’s dismissal says council and administration are equally responsible for any shortcomings.
"We’re suggesting the auditor was somewhat deficient in regards to followup and making sure processes were followed" says Chabot. "But we really didn’t provide that opportunity for the auditor."
"We don’t just automatically fire people because they weren’t following certain processes" he adds."We give them an opportunity to correct their actions and show improvement."
He says the protocols outlining the auditor’s mandate didn’t specify she was obligated to operate under international auditing standards. He also notes the city accepted all 13 of her report’s recommendations to fix the city’s procurement practices.
The city will have to pay between $70000 and $100000 for the remainder of McTaggart’s contract.
