Huntsville will soon have its own integrity commissioner. Council agreed last week to hire Robert Swayze, the current I.C. for Muskoka Lakes. This comes after the District of Muskoka voted against hiring Swayze, after a District Councillor for Muskoka Lakes raised some concerns.
Phil Harding told council there were 63 complaints against Muskoka Lakes council, and Swayze only addressed a couple. However, Huntsville council voted to hire him for a four year period, at a cost of $2,300 a year, and an hourly rate of $280.
An integrity commissioner takes complaints about council’s code of conduct, whether it’s from the public, staff, or council itself, and makes recommendations. They will also do various training sessions with council.
The province isn’t mandating municipalities have an I-C in place yet; but there is a Bill in the works.
Previous story:
Integrity commissioner suggestion vetoed by Muskoka district council