The City of Chestermere is suing its fired mayor and councillors for more than $650,000 in public funds that the municipality says were spent without approval — including personal legal fees, cameras to surveil city staff, booze and travel expenses for a councillor’s wife. The City of Chestermere filed a statement of claim against ex-mayor Jeff Colvin and former councillors Mel Foat, Blaine Funk and Stephen Hanley in the Court of King’s Bench in Calgary on Monday. Postmedia obtained a copy of the lawsuit, which claims the ousted officials caused the city to expend taxpayer dollars without proper budgeting or authorization on several occasions.
The city alleges the four beleaguered politicians are jointly responsible for more than $430,000 of unauthorized city spending between 2022 and 2023 and that Colvin alone is liable for an additional $223,000 — all of which the city is attempting to recover. Under the Municipal Government Act, elected officials are liable to municipalities for cash spent without necessary approval. The city’s claims have not yet been tested in court.
Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver booted Colvin, the three councillors and three top city officials from office in December last year following two years of head-butting over a municipal inspection that found the city was mismanaged. The dismissals were rooted in council’s failure to adhere to binding provincial directives resulting from that probe. In the wake of the firings, McIver ordered .