Dear Editor,
(Editor’s note: This letter was unfortunately truncated in yesterday’s edition and is therefore being reprinted in its entirety.)
Like most citizens one is disconcerted by the immodest behaviour (to say the least) of the Councillors of the City of Georgetown.
Individually and severally, they have set an example which no other similar organisation would wish to emulate. Theirs has been a discouraging example of ill-informed decision-making that should, where possible, be concealed from view – of all stakeholders, including children.
That is not to say that the Minister of Local Government should not have taken recourse to more focused advice in order to address the imbroglio with the intelligence that should derive from that office.
The parties involved seemed to have painted themselves into their respective corners, unmindful of the very (Burrowes) Enquiry Report – quoted (only with reference to the newly appointed incumbent of the Office of the Town Clerk).
For both their benefits, and that of other distanced individual and corporate citizens, as well as the distracted Ministry, the following excerpts of summaries of the Report’s recommendations should, hopefully, have a cautionary effect on impetuosity.
“SECTION 4.3: TO LOOK INTO IRREGULARITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE REPORT AS THEY RELATE TO THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION IN GEORGETOWN
4.3.1.5
The Office of the Town Clerk
Every effort should be made to effect a disaggregation of the powers and responsibilities of the holder of the position.
The position of Deputy Town Clerk should be made more substantive and assigned specific authority and responsibility, and accountability therefor.
It should be noted that Paragraph 11 of the Sixth Schedule Part One, adverts to the possibility of the Town Clerk being ‘legally qualified’. This is an opportunity that may be pursued if new recruitment is considered feasible. This qualification can also possibly apply to the level of Deputy Town Clerk, which can be assigned specific responsibility (as provided in Para 5 of Part 1 of the Sixth Schedule) for “charters, deeds, records and other documents”, among other things.
The responsibility for the recording and circulation of accurate minutes of Meetings of Council and Committees could also be assigned to the Deputy (or Assistant) Town Clerk. Make the current position vacant and advertise same, with revised TOR”.
The Report which was accepted by all the parties involved, including the Unions, also listed the following recommendations – extracted from pages 4 – 9 of Volume 1: Findings and Recommendations.
“4.3.1.2
Reconfigure job descriptions of Town Clerk and Deputy Town Clerk, with knowledge of the Statutes being a prerequisite for employment. Also nullify and/or reduce powers of both by making them answerable to a higher authority”.
“4.3.1.4
Town Clerk and other senior officer of this department are afflicted with administrative incompetence and/or derelict in assuming responsibility for inefficient and inappropriate financial transactions by members of staff, so should both be penalized for consequences of fiscal breaches”.
“4.3.1.5
Deputy Town Clerk should be tasked with more responsibility, including the recording and circulation of accurate minutes of the meetings of the Council.
The positions of Town Clerk and Deputy Town Clerk should be filled by recruits with legal expertise”.
“4.3.8.2.4
Develop General Operations Manual with Input from Stakeholders”.
“4.3.8.6
Provision for the conduct of a comprehensive human resource audit of M&CC.
Effectiveness and efficiency of city constabulary should be addressed”.
“4.5.1.3
Unionized administrations are counter-productive to effective management of subordinates, as solidarity of labour could override considerations of effective sanctions; so this should be revised.
Appoint Local Government Service Commission”.
“4.5.1.4
Conduct organization restructuring of M&CC.
Assess labour needs of municipality compatible with service need and provision”.
“4.6.7
Review of skills and competence of staff and implement dynamic human resource development programme”.
“4.6.8
Conduct job evaluation study for all jobs and positions at the M&CC. Compile handbook of job descriptions and other pertinent and relevant statistics necessitous to employment”.
“4.6.9
Appoint change-management team, or sub-committee to guide employment, staff training and development.
Appraisals and incentives should boost morale and enhance functionality drive”.
“4.6.10
Development of Private Sector partnerships to facilitate more structured approach to management”.
General
“12 Persons with requisite skills need to bolster work of sub-committees through application of the provisions set out in CAP 28:01”.
“24 Town Clerk and Public Relations Officer, or any other staff member who received advances, should reimburse all monies or be prosecuted”.
At page 35, among the Recommendations listed under 4.1.2.3 is the following:
“The COI recommends that a clear set of guidelines should be adopted by Council and the Ministry of Local Government outlining, unambiguously, the process involved in filling vacancies, payment in lieu of leave, and a host of other administrative matters that may be applicable to all municipalities in the country”.
Councillors will also be well advised to re(read) paragraph 2 of the COI Findings under 4.1.4.2 on page 39.
One hopes that the above information will provide sober reflection for all the players involved, and particularly the Minister of Local Government who should display the requisite leadership capacity, by inviting the Council’s representation to a constructive dialogue, that will be appropriately informed so as to jointly devise a more sustainable construct for the management and operations of the Town Clerk’s Office along the lines of the Findings and Recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry Report to which all have publicly subscribed.
In short the opportunity should be grasped to rise from the current platform of squabbles to the requisite higher level of trust, reconstruction and eventual progress.
Yours faithfully,
E B John