Councillors expense compost
Some expenses michael kors stink, some don't.
A $7,100 renovation of Councillor Shelley Carroll's City Hall office likely michael kors michael kors smelled better than michael kors the $5,700 Councillor Cesar Palacio spent on compost but taxpayers paid for both.
The expenditures came despite the fact michael kors some councillors those who retired or lost in michael kors October's michael kors election had only 11 months to file expenses, were bound by michael kors tighter spending michael kors rules around the election and had a lower office budget limit.
Incumbent councillors, who survived the October michael kors election and michael kors served a full year, were allotted an office budget of $50,445.
Taxpayers again covered a wide variety michael kors of michael kors expenses, such as world travel, popcorn and movie rentals for constituency parties and an michael kors i Phone michael kors 4.
Councillor Ron Moeser spent the most while Mayor Rob Ford michael kors in his last year michael kors as a councillor michael kors filed michael kors no expenses.
Workers carrying michael kors out Carroll's office renovation knocked a wall out michael kors of her office to enable her staff to work more easily michael kors together.
"You want to have flow," Carroll said Monday, michael kors adding that before the wall was removed, her staff michael kors members were separated michael kors within her second floor City Hall office.
The former budget chief waited until she was re elected and knew her office expenses were going to come in well under the allowable limit before proceeding with the renovation.
Carroll pointed out, michael kors due to city rules, she michael kors didn't have michael kors control over what the job cost.
Moeser said he didn't michael kors have much choice when it came to his annual expenditure of about $50,300 which michael kors was michael kors largely eaten up by the approximately $17,000 he paid in constituency office rent.
The Scarborough East (Ward 44) politician said the area he represents is a michael kors long distance from downtown Toronto michael kors and michael kors his constituents want michael kors to have local access to their councillor.
"It's what people value," he said.
Moeser, who will face a crunch michael kors this year michael kors now michael kors that council has lowered office budgets to just $30,000 each, michael kors wants the rules changed so councillors who go over their limit can draw from their allotment for hiring staff.
"I don't mind living within $30,000," he said.
Spending just $37 less than Moeser, Councillor Pam McConnell was the second michael kors highest spender.
Around $22,956 of her office budget expense went to cover an over expenditure of salaries paid to her staff, according to city documents.
Councillor Cesar Palacio spent about $5,700 of his michael kors office budget for "extra compost loads" michael kors from the city's solid michael kors waste management.
Palacio did not return a call to his office asking about the environment michael kors day expense.
Other councillors kept their compost costs down to anywhere from just a few hundred dollars to michael kors just over $1,000.
Deputy Mayor michael kors Doug Holyday has the job michael kors of leading a michael kors committee developing michael kors new rules around councillor office budgets that michael kors he hopes will be ready michael kors before the summer.