Mayor Simon Yu will be increasing the frequency of the reporting on his business expenses.
In a report to council included in Monday night’s council agenda package, Yu states he plans to release monthly reports on his expenses.
The remuneration bylaw currently has quarterly reporting of council members expenses as related to council business.
“In an effort to increase the transparency of the Mayor’s activities, I am planning to increase the reporting frequency and structure of those activities by providing a Mayor’s Report for Information monthly to be included in Council agenda packages. This reporting will also be available to the public through the City of Prince George website,” said Yu.
“Additional transparency of monthly reporting will provide the public with more access and scrutiny of expenditures undertaken by the Mayor, while also providing for additional accountability. Reporting out the accumulated expenses as a percentage of the annual budget will also increase accountability as the public will be aware when I have spent close to the budget for the year.”
He said his intention is to supplement this information with regular verbal updates at council meetings as a matter of best practice.
“This will inform the public of the type of meetings the Mayor is undertaking on behalf of the City,” he said.
In mid-December, a CBC report revealed that Yu has significantly overspent on travel and meals during his first year in office.
A Freedom of Information request filed by CBC News, from Nov. 7, 2022 to Sept. 28, 2023, showed that Mayor Simon Yu spent more than $18,000 on travel, accommodation, meals and entertainment, nearly double the $9,500 the city had budgeted for those expenses.
