A city businessman has told Stabroek Business that he is at his wit’s end to determine how to collect more than $3m which he says is owed to him by City Hall for services provided to the municipality a year ago.
Percy Cole told Stabroek Business in an interview earlier this week that in January 2007 he rented scaffolding to the Georgetown City Council for use during a repainting exercise on the buildings in the municipality compound. Cole said that based on the daily rate agreed between himself and the municipality for hiring the scaffolding the total charge amounted to more than $4m and that he had agreed to reduce the charge by $1m. According to Cole the Municipality had made a payment of $500,000 to him in October 2007 but an amount of more than $3m remained outstanding.
Cole said that he had been in constant contact with the City Engineer’s office to enquire about the full settlement but had received no indication when the amount would be settled. He said that he was dismayed over the fact that the Municipality appeared to assume that a contractor could wait for almost a year to receive payment.
Stabroek Business has been unable to reach the City Engineer for a comment on Mr. Cole’s claim. However, a City Hall source has told this newspaper that the municipality was currently faced with several claims by contractors – including garbage disposal services – for outstanding services. While the source could provide no knowledge of Mr. Cole’s claim, Stabroek Business was told that given the financial constraints facing City Hall, an amount of that magnitude would probably have to be paid in tranches over a period of time.
Asked whether he was prepared to take legal action against City Hall to recoup the outstanding amount Mr. Cole told Stabroek Business that he was unsure what his next move would be. He said that City Hall had retained the scaffolding for a period of 105 days.
