WITH an expenditure sum of $3.6B projected for this year, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will be looking to implement a number of new fees and to increase existing ones in order to assist the municipality, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Oscar Clarke, has informed.Clarke, in presenting budget estimates to the City Council yesterday, further announced that after a process of consultations, revenue collection is expected to be at $2.8B.

In arriving at the above-mentioned figures, the M&CC has considered a 10 per cent increase across the board on property rates.

“It should be noted that there was no increase in the percentage assessment of property rates since 1998. This is against the background that there are a number of unassessed properties both in terms of construction, expansion and change of use,” observed Clarke.

He added: “The municipality has agreed that in the first half of 2017, it will focus on capturing the information, process same with the assistance of the chief valuation officer and private assessors, determine the new value and apply the current formula to arrive at these new figures. On completion immediately after, dispatch demand notices and utilise all means necessary to collect the outstanding amounts.”

Furthermore, he said because Council is of the view that more revenue can be collected from municipal markets, the entire revenue-collection system for the markets will be computerised to capture all vendors and stallholders who are required to pay fees.

Clarke announced that as of February 1 last, Council has decided to implement new fees which will affect salons, barber shops, and other forms of cosmetology.
To further rake in revenue, he announced that the municipality has decided to implement a commercial-waste fee to all businesses within the first quarter of the year, that is expected to generate approximately $53M for the year.

BURDENSOME

“Commercial waste generation has become burdensome to our municipality since we have seen a rapid increase of such wastes from the business community. The municipality is stretched very thin to remove some 38 tonnes of commercial waste daily at a cost of $1M per week,” stated Clarke.

He said these special fees will be published in the media and that Council will hold “extensive” discussions and consultations to enhance this area of its responsibility.

The parking meter system, he observed, is a new revenue stream that provides for allocation to the city of 20 per cent of gross revenue from Smart City Solutions, increasing to 25 per cent and then to 30 per cent over the 20-year life- span of the project.

Considering another new revenue stream, Clarke said for the period August to December, 2016, the Council collected close to $58M in container fees.

“Discussions with our relevant partners on this initiative were still ongoing at year- end in quest of a final agreement.”

During this year, Clarke said the municipality will also be looking to have all court fines remitted to the M&CC as opposed to the Consolidated Fund.

“The Council has already written to the Minister of Communities seeking his intervention in this matter.”

Meanwhile, Clarke reminded that Georgetown comprises an area of 22 square kilometres, or 15 square miles, with a population estimated at 200,000 people and another 50,000, who visit the city for business and other reasons.

It continues to be a city of 60 wards programmed into 15 constituencies, an estimated 40,000 properties on record, excluding squatter settlements and Sophia.
The City Council maintains 160 miles of roads, 800 miles of concrete and earthen drains, 12 outfall channels and sluices; all parapets, reserves and thoroughfares; bridges, footpaths and sidewalks; municipal markets and parks, maternal and child welfare day care services, the abattoir, among many other municipal services.