The Thompson Nicola Regional District is facing questions about financial oversight again as the head of its own finance department files in court.

Chief financial officer Carla Fox, who has been away from the job for several months, has filed in BC Supreme Court in an effort to get back to work.

It’s an unusual step as the regional district’s top finance employee claims she was barred from the regional district office and from its internal systems, alleging it comes after her attempts to exert checks on taxpayer spending were blocked by staff, according to a petition filed in court last week.

Fox claims there’s an “entrenched culture” in the regional district of department heads making financial decisions without consulting with her or the finance department.

“The (regional district’s) culture in this regard can be best described as a group effort to pressure Ms. Fox into placing relationships, avoiding conflict or hard conversations ahead of financial due diligence or oversight,” her petition read.

Fox was hired in 2022, months after a financial scandal at the regional district that uncovered a culture of “intimidation” and “inappropriate spending.”

Her court action is putting a spotlight on regional district spending all over again just a few years after the last investigation.

According to her petition, Fox was hired “in response” to the forensic audit and financial scandal, but her predecessor left several months after the investigation and the regional district claimed it was unrelated.

Fox has been off the job since January, but she was cleared by doctors to return in April, according to the petition.

However, she claims the regional district has refused her return since she filed a complaint about another employee in March. The specifics of that complaint are not explained in the claim and the employee wasn’t named.

It’s not clear if it was related to her complaints about financial oversight, but she claims the regional district inappropriately hired a forensic accountant to take on the investigation rather than someone qualified to “assess any portion of the complaint.”

As for financial management, she listed four examples of cases where she was ignored or faced “intimidation” for attempting to exert control.

According to her petition, one department manager instructed his staff not to speak with Fox and little or no action was taken on her complaints. In another case, a solid waste contract was negotiated with a new provider, but she wasn’t consulted despite potential financial consequences. When a fire protection service in the region changed, it resulted in a “large tax increase,” but staff ignored her recommendations to first consult the public and board of directors.

Lastly, the utilities department created an asset management plan without connecting it with the regional district’s overall asset plan or consulting with Fox. It prevented her from making “necessary disclosure” to the board, according to her petition.

She said that the district is operating without a formal chief financial officer, “calling into question the financial oversight”. Chief administrative officer Scott Hildebrand has been covering her role since her leave began.

The 2022 financial scandal garnered the most attention for allegations that certain staff members were personally benefiting from tax dollars. It also found gaps in oversight from staff and the board, contracts awarded without transparent bidding and a lack of protection for whistleblowers. The district has taken steps to strengthen its financial policies since then.

Fox is asking a judge to affirm that the regional district obstructed her from carrying out the job she’s legally obligated to do and to allow her back to work.

The regional district has not responded in court to the Oct. 9 petition. Board chair Barbara Roden said the regional district has not been served the documents, adding that it would not provide a comment since the matter is before the court.