Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green yesterday said that he will see to it that the council will be prudent in disposing of funds as it sees fit and “not as dictated by some oracle”.
He was responding to reports that government had decided to earmark its rates and taxes for the payment of garbage contractors.
Green speaking from the chambers of City Hall said that he had met with Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall prior to the media briefing and from his understanding the minister was not telling him what to do with the rates and taxes money.
“I asked him if the impression I got from the media and my officers that he is directing us what to do with our tax money, he said no that is not the case.”
On Tuesday Lall at a press conference announced that monies owed to the City Council for rates and taxes by the government will be used to pay garbage collectors on a monthly basis.
Yesterday morning Lall met with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
However he had previously met with the Town Clerk, City Treasurer and City Engineer, a move which was criticised by Green yesterday.
“You can’t micro-manage this place by dealing directly with officers and then inveigh against the elected mayor and council there is something hypocritical, wrong about that,” Green declared.
Further Green said that the most vital of the three garbage collectors was not invited to the meeting between President Jagdeo and the garbage collectors.
“The vital operator was excluded because nobody consulted us,” Green said.
He explained that there was a two-fold part in dealing with garbage: collection and storage. “Storage is the most critical exercise and that contractor who we owe equally was neither consulted nor called in.”
There are three contracted collectors that the M&CC works with: Puran Brothers, Cevons Waste Management and Crawler and Wheelers. At Monday’s meeting with President Jagdeo, only representatives from Puran and Cevons were present.
Green added that as long as he is around he will see to it that there is “some prudence and equity” in distribution of monies to the contractors whom he noted have been patient with the council.
“They have been patient and I have no difficulty the way they withdrew their services, they always have been very reasonable people.”
While he acknowledged that the council has always had difficulty paying contractors on a monthly basis, Green stated that the Finance Committee headed by the Deputy Mayor will work out a proper payment schedule for the contractors once they receive the rates cheque from the government.
However the council has not yet received any monies from the government since its announcement to pay off the contractors. “I would expect that with all this hype that that cheque ought to by now be in the treasurer’s office,” Green said yesterday.
It has not been revealed how much money will be paid to City Council or when the money will be paid.
On Tuesday Lall had said that it was some $80M in rates and taxes owed to the council but Green who said he did not have the figure added, “I assume that that would be handed over in full.”
“Had the State machinery not been so dilatory and had been paying their taxes as is required by law and had done what is done in most countries and set the tone and example of paying taxes at the appropriate time, then this crisis, these conditions would never have been,” Green maintained.
Meanwhile, Green was skeptical about the minister’s statement that he is always anxious and willing to respond to initiatives by the council to broaden its revenue base.
“We have over time made several proposals and without exception they have been negative by the powers that be,” Green pointed out.
However, Green said that he will be taking the minister’s word “with a grain of salt” whenever future proposals are to be submitted.