91原创 City Council has ordered a third report on the use of RCMP overtime to help cover the cost of tickets for Mayor Val van den Broek鈥檚 Jan. 25, 2020 gala fundraiser.

At the same time, the councillors signalled they want to review the current relationship with the Mounties, by looking into options that could include creating an independent 91原创 police service.

Both measures were approved following a sometimes-heated debate over the second report on the issue, presented to council on Monday, April 26. It said assistant RCMP commissioner Maureen Levy had confirmed one officer who attended the event had worked four hours overtime, at the suggestion of the officer-in-charge, to help cover the cost of buying tickets.

Levy said a 鈥渢horough review鈥� showed $361.44 in overtime was charged to the City of 91原创 after the gala.

READ ALSO: One officer worked 4 hours overtime to cover tickets to 91原创 City mayor鈥檚 gala: report

Several members of council were skeptical, pointing to the first report , which said 35 91原创 RCMP members attended the event and 19 of them came with spouses or guests, buying 54 tickets for a total value of $8,100.

Coun. Nathan Pachal proposed a report by staff answering four questions, including how much of the gala overtime costs were worked by Township of 91原创 RCMP officers.

鈥淲hy are there significant discrepancies between the Gill report and RCMP report on taxpayer costs, $8,100 compared to $361.44?鈥� Pachal asked.

鈥淲hy did it take over one year to receive a response from the RCMP [and] why was the former officer-in-charge of the 91原创 detachment, Superintendent Murray Power, reassigned?鈥�

Power was moved out of the 91原创 detachment without explanation after news of the overtime offer by Power to senior officers surfaced.

Coun. Teri James wanted to know who paid for the other tickets.

鈥淭here鈥檚 still $7,800 missing,鈥� James said.

鈥淒oes that get billed to the Township?鈥� James asked.

Coun. Gayle Martin called the Levy response 鈥渓aughable.鈥�

鈥淲hat I see, is the 鈥榯hin red line鈥� here protecting the RCMP,鈥� Martin fumed.

鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 make any sense,鈥� Martin commented.

Coun. Paul Albrecht said the RCMP were playing a 鈥渟hell game鈥� to hide the expenses.

鈥淭he numbers don鈥檛 add up,鈥� Albrecht argued.

Van den Broek defended the gala, which raised $56,000 for the 91原创 Memorial Hospital Foundation to buy equipment to detect ovarian and breast cancer, saying 鈥渢he good that we have done with the gala has a lasting result.鈥�

As for the overtime, van den Broek maintained she was 鈥渜uite confident鈥� that any overtime worked was for legitimate police purposes and the Council-ordered reports looking into the event represented 鈥渦nnecessary and significant costs鈥� to the City.

鈥淭here is no missing money,鈥� van den Broek insisted, telling council they need to 鈥渓et it go and move on.鈥�

鈥淲e [council] are not operating as an effective, collective body,鈥� van den Broek went to say.

鈥淲e have to start focusing on city business, rather than each other.鈥�

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Martin disputed the mayor鈥檚 comments, saying 鈥渢his isn鈥檛 picking on you, this is standing up for the taxpayers.鈥�

Coun. Rudy Storteboom said the whole matter had become 鈥渒ind of embarrassing鈥� but another review was warranted.

鈥淢aybe some people got upset because it was kind of a victory lap for the mayor,鈥� Storteboom observed, adding 鈥淚鈥檓 okay with that.鈥�

Albrecht also called it embarrassing, saying he took no pleasure in the process, but 鈥渢here is wrongdoing and misspending.鈥�

Pachal鈥檚 call for a third report on the gala was approved by a vote of council, as was a second Pachal motion that opened the door for a look into an independent 91原创 police department.

Staff were told to include a 鈥渞eview of the policing service model for 91原创 City鈥� in the 2022 budget.

Pachal, chair of the City crime prevention task group, said he had no issues with the individual RCMP officers working in 91原创 City.

鈥淭his is about the system,鈥� Pachal said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e asking questions about finances and not getting answers.鈥�

Pachal said the review should cover several possibilities, including operating a separate RCMP detachment rather than the current shared model with the Township, and even leaving the RCMP to establish an independent police service, either shared with the Township or City-only.

Coun. Rosemary Wallace said she was 鈥渟o for鈥� the proposal, noting that other communities are also reexamining their policing systems.

鈥淲e are not the only municipality looking at this,鈥� Wallace noted.