ST. PAUL – County of St. Paul council denied a request from a councilor to attend the Federation of Canadian Municipalities 2025 Annual Conferenc, which is being held in Ottawa in late May.
Coun. Kevin Wirsta expressed an interest in attending the conference, according to the County’s March 25 Public Works meeting agenda.
During discussions, Wirsta said the conference would be an opportunity to promote the County and discuss the municipality’s concerns at the federal level.
The conference is not included in the County’s Conference and Education Attendance Policy.
Coun. Maxine Fodness asked how much it would cost to attend, considering all costs, including per diems, mileage, the $1,200 registration fee, flight costs, and a total of approximately $1,500 hotel accommodation for four or five nights.
Coun. Darrell Younghans estimated costs would reach about $5,000, which he said is above the average $2,000 average costs of attending the five conferences covered by the County’s policy.
Younghans also expressed doubt over how much the conference will benefit the County.
“I’ve seen people go to this conference, come back, and say, ‘What a good conference it was’,” he said. “That was the extent of the benefits to the County of St. Paul.”
Wirsta suggested he chooses to attend conferences he believes matters and has not cost the municipality a lot of money in the past by attending conferences.
Reeve Glen Ockerman said while it would be ideal to send a representative, he did not feel as if the County of St. Paul would even make it onto the FCM’s agenda.
Coun. Dale Hedrick made a motion to approve the request. The motion was denied.
