The city is investigating whether a parks manager used a city credit card to rack up thousands of dollars in home improvement purchases — including patio furniture — in the latest scandal to hit the beleaguered public works department.

Public works committee chair Coun. Sam Merulla confirmed the city is probing the allegations against a parks employee "in a position of authority and trust" and potentially a small number of departmental colleagues. The use of city credit cards is limited to the managerial ranks.

Discipline is pending, but Merulla added he can't comment further on the details of a personnel matter or an ongoing investigation.

City spokesperson Mike Kirkopoulos said police are not involved in the probe. He wouldn't comment when asked if the alleged credit card use resulted in a loss of city cash, citing the ongoing investigation.

Public works head Gerry Davis, meanwhile, sent an update email to councillors Thursday afternoon letting them know about Spectator inquiries and acknowledging "an allegation of misconduct."

He said the probe is limited to "a few individuals" and promised councillors "once all details are confirmed and substantiated, we will take appropriate action immediately."

Sources familiar with the probe, who aren't authorized to speak publicly about the details, confirmed the purchase of patio furniture is one of the allegations.

Merulla said the probe into the alleged credit card misuse was spurred by "enhanced scrutiny" by management as a result of fallout from the so-called asphalt scandal.

In that case, the city fired nearly a third of all pothole patchers two years ago after covertly recording workers slacking off on the job. All but six of those road workers were eventually reinstated, the majority on the order of an arbitrator who criticized the department for a "culture of low expectations."

Merulla said the internal probe is an example of "aggressive action" the city is using to move beyond "the culture of the past."

"We're doing this in the name of public accountability," he said. "We have a challenge in terms of making this culture change … (but) we're winning the battle."

Kirkopoulos added the city already had audits planned for city "procurement" card use this year.

The probe comes around three months after council voted to review the future of the city's largest department after Davis mused it might be easier to manage if split apart.

The 2,100-employee, $800-million budget department that handles everything from transit to road building to water treatment has received flak over several high-profile challenges in addition to the asphalt scandal.

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The most recent examples include workplace sexual harassment complaints in the HSR, pot brownies brought to a public works yard and the revelation the city's large trucks and plows have one of the worst safety violation rates in the province.

- Personal spending on city credit cards not a new problem