–gives councillors more time to peruse amended parking meter by-laws

MAYOR Patricia Chase-Green and Town Clerk Royston King on Monday wanted the City Council to vote on the amended version of the parking meter by-laws without first giving councillors the stipulated three days to peruse the new document.

The three councillors who stood up to vehemently argue for more time to be granted to examine the 76-page document forced the Mayor to rule in favour of granting until April 4 for continuation of the matter.

After APNU Councillors Ivelaw Henry and Heston Bostwick moved for the suspension of the Standing Orders to consider the controversial parking meter contract, Team Legacy Councillor, Malcolm Ferreira was the first to request more time.

Ferreira, who headed the first re-negotiating committee, said that having received the package with the document last Saturday after 20:00h, it would be unfair to the citizens of Georgetown if he voted on something he has no knowledge of. Noting that the parking meter issue is a very touchy subject, which already caused mass protests in the City, Ferreira said that in order to prevent this from happening all over again, he must be afforded the opportunity to carefully scrutinise the changes made to the by-laws.
Ferreira also pointed out that the document is one with several legal terms, which is why he needs ample time to peruse it properly.

People’s Progressive Party’s Councillor Bishram Kuppen said he received the document at precisely 19:55h last Saturday, and was surprised that the matter was placed in front of other pressing issues affecting the City Council.

Kuppen, who also noted that it is a legal document and would require careful consideration, said he has no idea how many changes were made to the by-laws. “Let’s go about this the right way,” he urged.
And while Councillor Welton Clarke is neither for nor against the new set of by-laws, he said it has now become a ‘habit’ with the administration to be late in providing councillors with their documents.

He said that he, too, received his copy last Saturday, which, incidentally, is his “festive” night, and hence did not have adequate time to go through it.
As Clarke noted, the City Council is working dilligently to recoup the respect it lost as a result of this project, and this latest development is not a good reflection of the Council’s efficiency.

Councillor Oscar Clarke, however, is of the opinion that those councillors who are seeking more time are really seeking time to mobilise their friends to come and make noise outside of City Hall.
The Council, he said, has a right to install parking meters, and install them it will, come what may.

Chairman of the latest re-negotiating committee, Councillor Akeem Peter said that the document in question is the same 76-page document councillors received since last year, and that apart from the cost and a few other things, nothing has really changed.

He questioned why councillors could not just trust the committee, since the document emanated from here and not from the administration. He also wondered what ulterior motive councillors might have had in refusing to proceed with the document.

But Councillor Ferreira denied having any ulterior motive, and noted that he was acting in the best interest of citizens. He said he will not allow anything to be ‘forced down his throat’, and that if some councillors around the horse-shoe table used their conscience, they, too, would request more time.