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At a special meeting held on the evening of Monday March 2, Drayton Valley town council placed CAO Jocelyn Whaley on a paid leave of absence.
“Council called a special meeting of council at 7 p.m. last night to discuss legal matters and employment issues,” said acting CAO Jennifer Stone. “Because of the Access to Information Act, I cannot provide any further information on the details of that.”
The notice to the public of the special meeting was released on social media about an hour before the meeting started. While the meeting was open to the public, council immediately moved into closed session, and remained there for the bulk of the time.
The Free Press has seen the waiver, signed by all members of council, required by the Municipal Government Act to waive the 24 hour notice required for special meetings.
The final three motions of the meeting was to accept legal advice regarding calling the special meeting and the CAO’s employment, which was carried. The second motion to put the CAO on a paid leave of absence was carried, with only councillor Cody Brooks opposing the move. The third motion was to appoint Stone as the Acting CAO.
Since 2016, Drayton Valley has had five CAOs and at least three acting CAOs. There have also been two Interim CAOs.
Whaley took over the role on June 1 last year. She had previously served as CAO of Brazeau County from 2018 to 2021.
According to the Municipal Government Act, the role of the CAO is to serve as the administrative head of the municipality and oversee its day to day operations. He or she reports directly to council, with all other municipal staff reporting to the CAO.
It’s unclear what the next steps will be. Council is due to pass the final budget for 2026 later this month. The CAO would normally be expected to play a leading role in that process.
Mayor Nancy Dodds did not respond to a request for comment.
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