THE Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) yesterday (Monday, February 4, 2019) met with officials of the Mayor and City Council (MCC), to discuss the issue of parking meters and other matters affecting the city. However, it was decided that the first issue to be tackled would be the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and the setting up of a bilateral committee between the two entities.

The two bodies are expected to meet again on Friday, February 8, 2019 to begin setting up the committee, while a three-week timeline was given for the drafting of the MoU.

Aside from addressing the issue of the parking meters and the establishing of an institutional working relationship between the MCC and the GCCI, the meeting had originally also been scheduled to discuss the issue of garbage receptacles around the city of Georgetown, and the levying of local authority taxes.

On the issue of the parking meter, Deodat Indar, President of GCCI, affirmed that the GCCI’s position had not changed from its original call for the revocation of the controversial parking meter contract between the M&CC and Smart City Solutions.
The meeting opened with the discussion on the parking meters. However, Mayor Narine expressed the view that the establishment of an institutional working relationship between the GCCI and the MCC took precedence over the other issues, as it would provide guidance on all other future engagements between the two bodies.

However, the GCCI was somewhat skeptical to put all the focus on the formation of a committee. Indar pointed out that an initiative in the past to establish a committee with the private sector and the MCC had fallen by the wayside.

In 2016, President David Granger had recommended the formation of a tripartite committee involving the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the MCC and central government. However, the PSC complained that, at that time, the MCC continued to miss the meetings and the initiative never took off.

“One time they met and they never met again. This was a committee established by the President and it was an abrupt failure. We wrote to the President to say this is something you mandated and it’s not working,” Deodat said.

Indar, however, said the GCCI was not altogether unwilling to trust in a committee establishment but needed to see concrete efforts on the part of the MCC to feel reassured going forward. Indar said the GCCI executive needed concrete evidence that they could take back and report on to its over 200 members, to show that progress was being made.
“I believe that if you put somebody who has the time, will show up to the meeting, we will reciprocate and put a high-level person on the committee and whatever comes out of that meeting should be given a timeline,” he noted.

Attorney-at-Law, James Bond, who attended the meeting in an advisory capacity to Narine, assured the GCCI that the mayor was not giving merely empty promises.
Towards that end, Bond pointed out that the parties could meet again, as soon as Friday, to set up the committee and the MoU should not take more than three weeks to be drafted. Following this the parties would have the proper foundation to proceed forward in the discussion of issues affecting the City.

At Friday’s meeting both the MCC and the GCCI are expected to put forth their nominees to be on the bilateral committee. The GCCI is expected to draft the MoU and present it to the council.
“I think what is a good suggestion is to use the MoU as a guide to how the committee operates. What the mayor is trying to say is this is a different council, a different mayor, a different era, and this time there is not only political will but youth with a clear vision,” Bond noted.

“The MoU will contain the scope and parameters of that committee and how the committee should operate. The GCCI can draft those terms, have them presented and council would have a look at them and make changes if it so sees fit. Even before this meeting is over, you can nominate persons from your side to meet with the council’s nominees to deal with suggestions,” explained Bond.

Narine took over the Mayorship beginning January, 2019, when a new Council at the MCC began its reign.
Aside from the mayor, also attending the meeting on behalf of the MCC were Town Clerk (ag) Sharon Harry-Munroe, Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore, other councilors and staff of the municipality.