A former Rimbey mayor is angry about what he believes to be a conspiracy of silence with regards to the new proposed Rimoka lodge.
Earl Giebelhaus believes the public has not been informed about the deal with Rimoka, laying at least part of the blame on the Review editor, Treena Mielke for not printing an article regarding the questions he asked CAO Donna Tona at the last council meeting.
“Most of the taxpayers in Rimbey do not have a clue about the fact that our council, some of the members of which have deliberately been kept in the dark, has paid an as yet undetermined amount of money to aid a developer, that was the entire responsibility of the developer under a signed development agreement dated Aug. 8, 2008,” he said in a letter he brought into the Review office.
Giebelhaus wants the public to be aware that council under the guidance of CAO Donna Tona signed another agreement known as extension and novation agreement with SJC Development Corporation.
Giebelhaus believes council violated their own municipal development bylaw by entering into the three party agreement (the town, Rimoka and Ponoka County).
He questioned why CAO Donna Tona initialled each page of the document and was the signatory for the town on that document.
Giebelahus said the new proposed MDP has serious omissions that were put in place by the present MDP to correct the misuse of public funds.
“At this point we are not sure if there are other agreements that are not being made known.
Giebelhaus also asked a question relating to the statement in the three party agreement which says ‘subsequently, the owner and the developer came to a separate agreement which, in part, contemplates the development taking over what was the originally to be the owner’s cost share portion under this agreement.’
This clause is not open to public view, which leads Giebelhaus to believe there is factual information that is being kept secret.
“I can see why the developer would say no, but what has our temporary CAO got to hide?”
Tona said she had no comment regarding Giebelhaus’es accusations.