– garbage disposal to resume as early as tomorrow
IN AN effort to ensure that residents of the city are not inconvenienced further, Government has committed to paying its rates and taxes for the third quarter of 2009 in advance so that the contractors can receive payment and resume garbage collection by tomorrow.

The commitment was made during a meeting between members of the City Council and the Ministers of Finance; Local Government and Regional Development and Transport and Hydraulics. Members of the council attending the meeting included Town Clerk (ag), Ms Yonette Pluck; City Treasurer, Mr. Andrew Meredith; and City Engineer, Mr. Gregory Erskine.

Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh, told members of the media that Government’s rates and taxes for the third quarter, which is not yet due, amounts to $41M, and this amount along with a supplementary portion of $4M from the City Council will be paid to the two contractors and the operator of the dumpsite.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Kellawan Lall was given the assurance by the two main garbage collection companies — Cevon’s Waste Management Service and Puran Brothers Waste Disposal Services — that work will resume tomorrow. The companies, which are collectively owed $75M for three months’ work, will receive their payments tomorrow.

Minister Singh stated that the meeting served to lay a basis for ongoing engagement between the Council and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and that the officers have made it clear that Government does not have any outstanding payments to the municipality. This clarification came in light of recent allegations that Government has been starving the Council of funds.

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Mr. Robeson Benn noted that there needs to be a change in the attitude and culture at the City’s management level, along with a change in the management team, since the Council has failed in its obligations to the residents of the city.

Minister Lall pointed out that the city is in a perilous state and that management issues are of major concern. He stated that there is need for an efficient system which will deliver quality service. The council’s expenditure amounts to more than the $1.2 billion in rates and taxes that is collected every year.

Outlining the Council’s failure in expanding its revenue base, the Minister pointed out that Congress Place owes the Council over $100M in taxes, but no effort has been made to have this debt serviced.

Referring to a recently-aired programme on the National Communications Network Inc. (NCN) titled ‘The City Hall Issue’, where the Ministers voiced their concerns, the Finance Minister highlighted several instances where Government fully financed the construction of projects within the City including roads and drainage and irrigation, which is the responsibility of the council.

Referring to the issue of rates and taxes, the Minister stated that Government, over the years, has been continually paying its taxes for government properties in and around the city in a prompt manner for which it has received relevant statements. He noted that from 2005 to 2009 Government has paid the council over $700M and has paid for the first two quarters of this year.

The Ministers again highlighted the need for urgent restructuring within the Council since issues of mismanagement and lack of supervision were highlighted as major bottlenecks.

Minister Lall stated that persistent mismanagement is the root cause of the problems being encountered by the City since there is no proper plan and he said there is need for the body to tailor its activities to match its funds.

Minister Benn reiterated that the bulk of the work done in the city is facilitated by Central Government and he noted that if the council was doing its job then Government would have been able to do much more for the City and Guyana.

Government has already spent over $3B on a number of initiatives in the city which includes $1.9M on the maintenance and rehabilitation of city roads, over $200M on the rehabilitation of canals and pumps and $230M on municipal markets and abattoirs, the Minister said.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was recently signed between Government and the Council for a special programme where Government provides $10M a month to the council to be used for cleaning works in the city.

Minister Singh also stated that at the completion of the Haag Bosch solid waste management programme, Government would have spent $3.7B.

Additionally, the Minister stated that Government remains committed to the holding of local government elections as early as possible to ensure that the residents of the Capital City and the country receive proper services. He further pointed out that residents should hold the city officials responsible, since they pay rates and taxes and should enquire what is being done with the money they pay on an annual basis. (GINA)