Amherstburg council is looking for information on all hires and employee moves made by former CAO Mike Phipps.
The motion, approved by a 4-3 vote, also asks for information on qualifications of each employee in the municipality.
"I think council should be privy to that information so we do in fact have proper people in proper positions moving forward," says Rick Friar, the town councillor feeling the move is a step towards greater transparency. "Council will indeed look at if former CAO [Mike Phipps] did put people in positions that they weren't qualified for."
Mayor Aldo DiCarlo says it's beyond council's authority to handle hirings and firings.
"We have had a meeting with legal counsel and it was my understanding that it was pretty clear that this oversteps the bounds of council," says DiCarlo. "I'm really concerned with putting the town at risk for further lawsuits and costs."
DiCarlo would have rather seen a recommended four-year council pay freeze approved at Monday night's meeting instead of deferring the item.
"It seems to me the issues we should be dealing with are being deferred and the issues that there's nothing we can do about anymore just won't seem to go away," says DiCarlo.
Current CAO John Miceli told council he'll need legal advice to see what, if any, information he can share with council on the matter of employee hirings.
