During the past year, the Council of the Town of Greater Napanee have strived to answer questions from the public regarding property sales.
Council, unanimously, requested that an RFP be put out to find an independent company to review sales that have been conducted over the past 10 years. KPMG was hired and they completed a review that resulted in a report made public in January. The Town of Greater Napanee then engaged KPMG to undertake a further review of three property sales identified in their January 2021 Report to Council. That process involved additional interviews with individuals who were assured that they would not be identified. In order to make the final KPMG report public, Council asked KPMG to remove the names of the individuals who were interviewed and to remove the “confidential” label on the report that Council reviewed in closed session. These minor changes were necessary to maintain the integrity of the process.
Other than these changes, the report that is now public is identical to the report Council received. With the report, as described above, being released, the Town has been completely transparent and cooperative throughout the process. There have been many social media reports and statements suggesting otherwise. Now it will be Council and staff’s task to look at supporting and implementing the recommendations made by KPMG. These include a procedural document and checklist, an updated by-law, a further pilot project to use real estate firms for disposing of surplus land, and finally making sure that a clear direction is provided as to the use of funds following the sale that is aligned with the Town’s strategic priorities.
The report is available on the ‘News & Notices’ section of the Town’s website at www.greaternapanee.com. If a paper copy is wanted, there is a form that can be filled in to request same. This form can be found under the ‘News & Notices’ section of the Town’s website.
Thank you.
Mayor Marg Isbester