Wellington County Joint Compliance Audit Committee
As a mandatory requirement of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the Wellington County Municipalities established the Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee. Committee members will serve for the 2026-2030 Term of Council.
The Joint Compliance Compliance Audit Committee is meant to help municipalities meet their election campaign finance compliance responsibilities. The Committee is responsible for:
- Considering compliance audit applications related to the campaign finances of candidates and registered third parties
- Deciding whether an audit should be granted, appointing an independent auditor where appropriate
- Determining whether legal proceedings should be commenced following an auditor’s report or a Clerk’s report regarding contribution limit exceedances.
For the 2026–2030 term of Council, Puslinch is participating in a joint committee model with the other lower-tier Wellington County municipalities. This shared approach is intended to provide a practical, cost-effective, and legislatively compliant way to administer compliance audit matters, while also giving the participating municipalities access to a broader pool of qualified individuals.
The Joint Compliance Audit Committee may be composed of between three to seven members and must operate at arm’s length from the municipal election process. Members cannot be municipal employees or officers, members of council, current candidates, certain recent candidates or registered third parties, or individuals with other disqualifying conflicts of interest. Committee meetings are called as required, are generally open to the public, and are supported administratively by the Clerk of the municipality initiating the request.