The City of White Rock’s first quarter has been a decidedly cheaper one than last year’s, as far as spending on consultants goes.
According to a report to be presented at Monday’s finance and audit committee meeting – held after Peace Arch News’ deadline – the city paid $109,679 to consultants from Jan. 1 to March 31.
In the same period last year, $247,598 was spent.
Sandra Kurylo, the city’s director of financial services, attributed 2011’s higher tab to “a significant amount of work underway on facility upgrades that required the expertise of consultants.”
Last year was a pricey one for the city, consultant-wise. Fourth-quarter figures presented in February detailed a tab of $1,637,492 for the year – 72 per cent higher than that spent in 2010.
The previous council's record of consultant spending was an issue for Mayor Wayne Baldwin during last fall's election campaign. He pledged in February to keep such costs down.