Replacing light bulbs at the city’s municipal markets could take nearly a year, the final public hearing of the commission set up to investigate matters at City Hall heard yesterday.
The commission hopes to have the report on its findings completed by mid-December.
Several persons turned up at the municipality last evening to testify before the commission in the third and final public hearing, including Clerk of Markets Schulder Griffith and Public Relations Officer (PRO) Royston King.
Both officers made general remarks and were then questioned by Commissioner Keith Burrowes.
One of the outstanding points that came out of yesterday’s hearing is the amount of time it takes to solve simple problems, such as replacing light bulbs at the municipality’s markets. Griffith said at the hearing that last year Christmas Eve two bulbs at the Bourda Market needed to be replaced.
He said he requisitioned for the bulbs but they have not been replaced to date. For this year several of the city’s markets need light bulb replacements, especially with late shopping at markets to begin on December 6.Griffith said that he has already written up requisitions for the bulbs since September but is yet to receive them.
He explained that there is a process before anything is bought for his department. The requisition is taken to the Engineer’s Department where the cost of the job is added. It is then taken to the City Treasurer’s Department where the funds are acquired.
At Burrowes’s probing Griffith revealed that the maximum for petty cash vouchers for his department is $20,000.
The Clerk of Markets also admitted that services, which the municipality is supposed to provide for markets is below par.
Although persons’ rent is supposed to cover cleaning of markets, water, security and lighting, some markets are in a deplorable state, Griffith said.
He spoke of the Bourda market with some passages that have leaky roofs. He added that improved cleaning and security are among the new goals set.
King said that the most complaints reaching his department most often were of flooding, especially from the southern section of the city.
