Mayor Linda Jeffrey’s plan to reappoint an independent auditor to review Brampton’s finances was shot down Wednesday amid concerns from some councillors that the additional scrutiny “reinforces negative opinions” about the city.

“The truth is we are on an upward trend," said Regional Coun. Elaine Moore of a motion to rehire former Ontario Auditor General Jim McCarter at $60,000 to review progress on a 2015 report he authored that identified key areas of concern on the financial management front.

In a 7-4 vote, council on Wednesday rejected plans to reopen the city’s books and build on the financial accountability measures Jeffrey has introduced so far as mayor. Instead, council agreed to rely on yearly report cards compiled by staff to keep tabs on the city’s financial health.

Leading up to the final vote, councillors picked apart Jeffrey’s motion to reopen the books to McCarter.

Regional Coun. John Sprovieri argued that unless given the power to put to rest some of the scandals that have rocked city hall in recent years, including getting to the bottom of a secretive payment program called Outside Policy Requests (OPR) that paid out $1.25 million to non-union staffers without council’s knowledge or approval, McCarter’s appointment is pointless.

Internal audit staff uncovered the OPR payment scheme. City officials are now sending details of the secretive practice to the police for a possible investigation, after council last month requested a criminal probe. Critics said McCarter's failure to pick up on OPR the first time puts into question the merits of inviting him back.

“If this was a different motion with a different objective then I could understand the argument,” said Sprovieri. “But all this motion is doing is asking to evaluate what we’ve already done.”

Council has moved on a number of action items identified in McCarter’s initial work in 2015, which Sprovieri and other councillors argued has put the city back on track financially.

Even with a dark cloud hanging over city hall regarding OPR payments, as well as lingering allegations regarding staff’s handling of a historic downtown development deal, Regional Coun. Elaine Moore said inviting McCarter back at this point “reinforces those negative and concerning opinions that some people in the community have.”

Speaking to her motion, the mayor, who has advocated for the hire of a permanent auditor general at city hall, argued a followup from McCarter would provide an independent evaluation of the city’s progress, as well as help local leaders determine “next steps.”