Welcome to bizarro land.

Is it only me, or are you as shocked and stunned that members of city council have no clue what is going on in city departments unless they are so informed by the city auditor.

Apparently, they all reacted with horror, awe and anger when the auditor told them that the roads-design and construction branch was playing fast and loose with its budgeting process, completion deadlines, personnel policies and just about everything else.

Cue city councillors and the mayor.

Sound bites abound. Oh, yes, they are all concerned. Oh, yes, this is ever so serious. Oh, yes, this cruel waste of taxpayers’ money must stop.

Their reactions would make you think that this is a unique set of circumstances they are dealing with.

One can only surmise that Edmonton is a well-run city where normally everything is done according to the book, and that this must be seen as the exception and not the rule.

Flashback to the city having to refund $3 million in traffic fines because it could not make its traffic cameras work properly. The response? Whoops!

Flashback to the cost of the Capitol Theatre that ballooned from $1.25 million to $14 million. The response from Edmonton’s manager of building design and construction? Whoops!

Flashback to December 2009: the city auditor points out that consultant contracts have grown exponentially and there are few controls. “Documents show 25 per cent of consulting contracts cost more than what was agreed upon. And almost 60 per cent of the time, the information submitted was deemed insufficient.” “Contracts were awarded even though no business plan was drawn up detailing what the administration wanted from the consultant, and with several contracts, no final report was ever delivered.”

And just what was done about that? Who knows? Did the councillors and mayor dig into what was going on and why? Did heads roll? Were people terminated? Did anyone ever ask whether any of the consultants once worked for the city and were able to create sweetheart deals with their old friends and buddies? Your guess is as good as mine.

It’s worth remembering that these politicians and city employees are the very same people who are going to decide how much more money they will take out of your pocket next year.

They are also the same people who are going to manage the development of the City Centre Airport lands. Whoops!