Resolution or not, the contract entered into between the City of Prince Rupert and Tanalee Hesse for “corporate administrative services as determined by the Mayor through the City Manager’s office” was well within the city’s authority, according to Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.
According to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act the contract in question, which has been the focus of some questions and discussions around town, was signed on July 10, 2006 and saw the city agree to pay $50 per hour plus GST for the services of Ms. Hesse as needed. The contract that was renewed in August of 2007 when she returned to the city after a stint at the Skeena - Queen Charlotte Regional District and lasted until earlier this year. Those same FOI documents don’t show a resolution of council for the contract and, while he said he would have to further investigate to confirm if there was or wasn’t a resolution, one wasn’t needed in this case.