Former Halifax Mayor leaves Westlock County with a hefty bill

By Karo Comeau

WESTLOCK COUNTY- Westlock County taxpayers in Alberta are on the hook for $ 200,000 because of a project headed by former Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly went unapproved when he was their Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

According to the current CAO Sue Oberg, the Horizon North project was never approved by municipal council and exceeded the $10,000 maximum Kelly would have been able to okay on his own.

“It needed to be approved by council, as per policy since this project cost more than $10 000 it needed to be approved by council before it proceeded,” Oberg said about the project, which ultimately went unapproved and was not budgeted with an estimated cost of $375,706.

Oberg says they believe they will still be $200,000 in the red once the project is sold off, which means the cost will ultimately fall on the roughly 7,600 taxpayers in the county.

Kelly was a controversial Mayor of Halifax from 2000 to 2012, known for a concert scandal that saw improperly extended loans totalling $400,000 without council approval and was also criticised for his handling of the estate of Mary Thibeault.

He didn’t return a call for comment about the project or a report on it released this week.

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