M&CC hoping to pay monthly workers by weekend

By Telesha Persaud
THE Mayor and City Council of (M&CC) of Georgetown has not yet paid its monthly employees for June but is hoping to mobilise enough funds to pay them before this week ends.

Mayor Hamilton Green made the disclosure yesterday at a press conference in City Hall, Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic.

Admitting that the M&CC has not been able to disburse salaries to those officers usually paid on that basis, he apologised to them for the delay.

Green said an attempt is being made to collect as much taxes as possible but it is difficult to deal with this issue because of the cumbersomeness of the legal and judicial system.

He, again, lamented that the M&CC is not allowed to garner resources to satisfy the public need and said, unless it is permitted to do so, the present situation will always recur.

Green said, if the Council is authorised, it would be able to plan properly and do maintenance works.

According to him, even as the Council collects rent from stallholders in the various municipal markets, the cost to maintain them is enormous.

Green recalled that the idea to hold a lottery originated from the Council years ago when it was attempting to raise revenue.

He said the Government did not approve at that moment but, within eight months, the gamble was off and running.

Green also wants the Council to be informed of how the money garnered from that source is being spent, declaring that it would be a “serious crime” for the cash to be expended without public knowledge.

He said appealing to all citizens and businesses to pay their taxes as millions of dollars are outstanding presently.

Green said the various trade unions are fully aware of the dilemma as the Council did not resort to hiding it and he cautioned those who may wish to strike that the municipality would not be paying who are not working.

In a recent interview, Acting Town Clerk Yonnette Pluck told the Guyana Chronicle that more efforts, especially in the area of judicial action, will be taken to persuade defaulters who owe outstanding rates and taxes.

She said, while the system is a bit slow, the M&CC is currently preparing to take several persons to Court for the debts.

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