MAYOR of Georgetown, Patricia Chase-Green’s recent statement: “PSC again stalling meeting on container fees,” as captioned in the Guyana Chronicle July 19, 2018, again reflects City Hall’s challenge with regard to the widening of the Mayor &City Council’s revenue base, with a view to increasing much-needed funds for executing its mandate of making the city clean.

More troubling is the fact that there is an impasse between the private sector, an important and indispensable partner in working with the municipality, for the achievement of its civic goals.

For any city to be successful, in terms of being able to deliver vital sanitation and other services, there is always the obligation for a good and close cooperative, working relationship between its municipal authorities, and the business and commerce sector. But this should also include law enforcement to make for a very strong city administration.
We are aware of the over two decades travail of the City Council, where its revenue base was never expanded, despite submitted recommendations for such; and which financial situation had been further exacerbated by an unprecedented strategy of non-payment of rates and taxes, by many businesses, and private residents. There was also never a doubt that an orchestrated plan of political retaliation against the council, by the then People’s Progessive Party/Civic(PPP/C), had been a major factor, in a city that had become the repository of garbage piles and putrid smells.

May, 2015 heralded an outpouring of joint City Hall and private citizens’ efforts, as they set about the task of the restoration of the city to a level of cleanliness that removed the hazardous health threats, which had formerly existed. There were some inputs from the business sector; however, it was central government that mostly picked up the tabs for such a massive clean-up that resulted in thick vegetation being excised from city reserves and other spaces; drains and alley- ways, becoming desilted for the first time in decades, as well as canals cleared of weeds and other hindrances that had contributed to chronic flooding of the city.

But such efforts have not been any kind of factor which have led to an increase in citizens honouring their civic obligation; for City Hall’s financial situation has not changed.
One has to be realistic about the financial capabilities of any municipality providing sanitation and other services to a city that has expanded in terms of population, businesses, and the inevitable increase of household and commercial refuse that such would bring.

Therefore, it is quite understandable and just for the city to have earlier asked the private sector for a container tax, and a subsequent review for an increase, given the daily frequency that such heavy-duty materials are hauled over city streets, in addition to causing damage to the roadways.

We agree that City Hall have had differences of opinions on some very critical issues with citizens, inclusive of the private sector, for which the two sides have been meeting to find solutions. This augurs well for effecting such a mechanism, for resolving thorny issues whenever they do arise, and a future template for cooperation in the best interests of the city.

However, notwithstanding not being able to resolve all the issues, should not be cause, for the two parties not to meet so as to complete negotiations and possible agreement on a final container tax. If the mayor is quoted correctly, then two years are quite some time for such a matter not be completed.

We opine that any discussions between these two important city players ought to be conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect, camaraderie, and consensus. There should not be any assumed attribute of pre-eminence, because of big money and finance which the private sector represents, and which seems to have given rise to Mayor Chase-Green’s statement, accusing the former of not being interested in working with her council, while further asking, “Why is it that this council has to bend to the private sector each time?”
And if there is the hidden political hand in what appears to be the stalling of such meetings, then it should cease, as there can be no benefit from such an intervention, except the frittering away of opportunities for solutions and for working together between the two sides.