City turns up the heat in budget controversy
City Council Round-Up
It has been a momentous, though harrowing week for Mayor Hamilton Green and his band of 29 city councillors representing the governing People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP), the People's National Congress (PNC) and the Good and Green Guyana (GGG). During the past seven days city hall had to consider an acceptable and workable budget, for the year 2000 yet to be achieved, respond to two injunctions from vendors and stallholders and the hospitalisation, short though it was, of the 'chief citizen'. A speedy and full recovery Mr Mayor. In the words of deputy mayor and chairman of the council's Finance committee, Robert Williams, "the city is in chaos". After summoning councillors to two meetings at City Hall last week Monday and Tuesday, a budget for this year was still not available for debate by the full council. The budget was first due last year November and when this time frame could not be met, March 15 and then March 30. The government has been blamed for not living up to its responsibilities and promises and both the Mayor and his deputy have referred to dire consequences within the municipality should the Jagdeo administration fail to pay up. The deputy mayor claims that the government owes the council $435M in property taxes and that the $241M allocated in the 2000 budget is inadequate. The council first sent a letter to President Bharrat Jagdeo late last month, while he was out of the country for an urgent meeting to discuss the city's financial problems. When there was no firm response from the Head of State, the council sent letters to the leaders of the three opposition parties represented in the National Assembly urging their support. At last Tuesday's resumed statutory meeting which was arranged after the budget presentation in the National Assembly last Monday, both the Mayor and his deputy spoke about layoffs at the municipality, the closing down of the daycare and maternal health centres and a reduction in the collection of garbage in several parts of the city. Road repairs would cease. There were also threats of a reduction in the members of the constabulary. The budget figure which was first presented to the council's budget committee stands at $2.5 billion. During the past week the 'chief citizen' and the deputy mayor were given their share of publicity in the local media and were making themselves available on television and radio to anyone who had a question to ask, no matter whether it was relevant or informed. City Hall, it was obvious, had turned up the decibels in its row with the government over the allocation of funds and payments of taxes.
The President strikes back The Head of State assured the residents in the areas visited that the government after an assessment would be carrying out rehabilitation works to the roads and the drains, works which are the responsibility of the city council and are long overdue. The president was accompanied by two heavyweights in his cabinet, Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj and Public Works Minister, Anthony Xavier. "The city council has a role to perform..it has services to deliver to the people of Georgetown," the president has been quoted as saying during a press conference last week, and he continues to question the way in which the finances of the council are handled. President Jagdeo's disclosure at the press conference that his administration would be handling the Urban Development Programme, which is to bring about improvements in the city must have come as a surprise to City Hall. Since the beginning of the year several departments within the council have been working assiduously preparing an overall plan for the city under the programme. The impression given was that the city council would be handling the urban programme including the funds...for its implementation.
The injunction scourge The Water Street vendors are asking the court to stop the council from moving them after six o'clock in the afternoon, while the market stallholders are asking for a ruling on the willy-nilly increases in their stall rents. At present the collection of rents from stallholders in both the Bourda markets and the Bourda Green is in a state of chaos, with constables demanding money and being refused while others have paid, though reluctantly, not being able to get answers to their questions which centre on "how the clerk of markets arrived at the new increases in rents and why the stall numbers were changed."
Questions for the Town Clerk Who is Pablo and why is this businessman allowed to display large numbers of boxes with clothing for sale to the public on the pavements around his store on Robb Street? And is there another Pablo springing up outside Guyana Stores on Main Street..Check it out.
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