The completion of the street naming exercise and removal of illegal barbers and gamblers from the streets were among matters discussed at the statutory meeting of the mayor and city councillors at City Hall on Tuesday.
Mayor Hamilton Green pointed out that many streets in Georgetown were still not named even though a street naming exercise had started almost one year ago. He said that the exercise was brought to a halt after a difficulty arose in procuring an overhead map from the city engineer’s department.
Meantime, the mayor has planned a meeting today for discussions on how to move forward with plans to name streets and to put up street signs that have fallen down or never existed. The meeting would provide a forum for councillors to give their views and to examine proposals by members of the public.
Restructuring
The mayor told the meeting that the council was in dire need of restructuring, comparing it to a sick man in grave need of medicine. And asking councillors to propose ideas he said that the restructuring would include training of personnel.
A report from the chief constable stated that two illegal barbers and two gamblers were arrested and charged within the last week or so. The mayor pointed out that the arrest of only two from a very large grouping was not fair and suggested that the chief constable should mobilize a force and set a target area to be ‘sanitized’.
He suggested the block parallel to High Street, bordered by Brickdam to the south, King Street to the east and Regent Street to the to the north.
Green advised that the health, constabulary and engineer departments converge to carry out the exercise. He said that forewarning should be given and if there is still refusal to comply with the laws then the offenders should be arrested and charged. Illegal barbering creates a health hazard since many health factors are not taken into consideration by these roadside barbers, especially outside or next to food businesses such as the Demico House area around the Route 40 and 45 minibus parks, it was pointed out.
Manpower
shortage
The chief constable pointed out that the constabulary is short on manpower by 143 ranks. She said that the council needs to address the issue of manpower for the constabulary since the present complement does not have the ability to handle all the responsibilities on its shoulders. Deputy Mayor Robert Williams then noted that about 40 ranks in the constabulary have been at one position for more than five years and cannot be promoted because there is no one to replace them.
Councillors expressed their concern about young men seen gambling in the Stabroek Market and other areas “under the noses of city constables.” Councillor Victor Sobers told the meeting that the areas neighbouring City Hall should be cleared of wrongdoers at least because of its close proximity, despite the reported shortage of constables.
A proposal was put forward to clear out the Stone Depot and the Municipal Solid Waste Management facility. It was agreed that councillors would have a preliminary look at the materials, then the experts would be brought in to decide what to discard and what to keep as “archival material.”
In the March 14 Business issue of Stabroek News it was reported that City Hall was putting measures in place to correct long standing irregularities in relation to properties that were previously empty lots or private residences but were converted into business premises or storage bonds and continue to pay the residential rate of 40 per cent when they should be paying the 240 per cent rate that applies to property used for commercial purposes. Williams who is also the chairman of the council’s Finance Committee reported that the exercise has proven successful so far.
Along Regent Street 32 properties were investigated and it was found that since 2004, the council has lost some $12 million in property taxes since the buildings were registered either as residential or partly-residential and commercial when in fact they are fully commercial. Actions are being taken to rectify these irregularities.
Other matters discussed were the obstruction caused by hire cars at the Bourda Market area and the current billing dispute between the council and Guyana Water Inc.
The mayor recommended that a tow truck be hired to carry out a one-day exercise at Bourda. He also expressed gratitude to Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall for stepping in to “soothe the troubled waters” by meeting with the GWI head Karan Singh over the city’s debt. The mayor said that auditors are working feverishly to come up with figures on the part of the council since he considers the amount being demanded by GWI as ridiculous. GWI had cut off water to city facilities over the disputed debt. (Melissa Charles)
