Tuesday afternoon, members of Trail city council released a motion of censure and sanction against Mayor Colleen Jones.
“On June 12, 2023, council for the City of Trail decided to issue a motion of censure against Mayor Jones for conduct unbecoming of a member of city council in breach of the city’s Council Code of Conduct. Council’s decision stems from the results of an independent third-party investigation conducted and completed prior to the 2022 municipal election.”
The investigation found that then-councillor Colleen Jones “engaged in conduct that showed a lack of consideration for an employee and conduct that did not promote public confidence,” council stated in the June 12 release.
“The investigation found that she violated the city’s Council Code of Conduct on three occasions.”
As a result, Trail council resolved to:
a) Issue the mayor with a statement of censure;
b) Issue the mayor a letter of reprimand;
c) Direct the mayor to complete a course or appropriate training on governance.
Council said it “recognizes that following the investigation, Mayor Jones acknowledged her actions and expressed regret that her actions caused harm to council, staff, and the City of Trail. Mayor Jones has issued apologies to council and impacted individual(s).”
Council said it took this matter seriously and “in their commitment to transparency and accountability,” is notifying the public of the motion of censure and sanction.
“Council assures the community that due process and procedural fairness were followed. The mayor was given a copy of all materials relied on by council in its deliberation on this matter and she was given an opportunity to respond to the allegations prior to council’s consideration of the censure motion.”
Due to confidentiality and provincial privacy legislation, council members said they are not able to discuss the details of the matter.
Council said Mayor Jones has voluntarily prepared a letter of apology.
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