LEGAL advice was sought in connection with acting Town Clerk, Carol Sooba’s slashing of councillors’ allowances and once again it has been established that she had no authority to do so. Consequently, a decision was taken on Monday to have all such funds restored.Sooba, over time, had reduced the allowances of councillors by as much as half for failing to attend the fortnightly statutory meetings, drawing bitter complaints from them.

At the statutory meeting Monday, Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green asked lawyer Robert Ramcharran to clarify the matter in the presence of everyone, including Sooba. The attorney then made it clear that Sooba had no authority on her own to cut allowances. “I’m certain the town clerk knows she of her own volition cannot take such a decision. She’s here to carry out the decisions of the council,” he said. Those in attendance then cheered loudly and tapped their feet in welcoming Ramcharran’s advice.

The lawyer said that in his view, the advice was based on the relevant section of the Municipal and District Councils Act which was clear and without ambiguity. He said payments should be made for expenses incurred during councillors’ execution of duties.
EXPENSES INCURRED

If, however, a councillor fails to attend meetings and no expenses are incurred, no allowances must be paid. If he performs other duties though, he must be paid, said Ramcharran.
Councillor Llewellyn John offered that Sooba had no right to deduct the monies and that councillors could have performed duties other than attend the statutory meetings, such as attend other important meetings.
According to Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, councillors in the past received $30,000, then $45,000 and when a request was made for it to be raised to $60,000, this was denied although it was catered for in the budget of 2012.
Chase-Green said Sooba refused to increase the money and began slashing their already meagre sum with the help of the City Treasurer.

She recalled that she had attended a meeting with former Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Norman Whittaker and yet her money was cut in half.
Chase-Green had in the past written to Whittaker complaining that Sooba had abused her powers by reducing the allowances.
The Deputy Mayor quoted the Municipal and District Councils Act, which states, in part: “The City Council may, in each year, with the approval of the minister, appropriate out of the funds of the Council, a sum to utilise for the remuneration of councillors other than travelling and subsistence expenses incurred in the course of duty and may, with such approval, determine what sum shall be payable to each councillor.”
Just after this issue was dealt with last Monday, Sooba was ordered by the mayor to proceed on administrative leave.

By Telesha Ramnarine