Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, is refuting allegations that he is seeking the removal of Town Clerk (ag), Carol Sooba, after she refused to grant his wife a write-off of taxes she owed for her business.
Green said the report, which was carried in another section of the press, is untrue because the situation at City Hall is nothing of the sort. He stated that what transpired is that he had asked for an adjustment of the building evaluation because it was not a true representation of the real value.
Green said the building was valued higher than it was worth because the property was valued as a commercial building, when it was not a fully commercial structure. He said that at the time the evaluation was done, a church was being held in the building. He added that another evaluation was done last year and it proved that the initial value of the property was incorrect, since the property was valued less than was stated previously.
The mayor said Sooba’s claim that he wanted her to be removed because she refused to write-off the rates and taxes owed by his wife was completely ridiculous, while adding that she was just trying to be wicked. He added that his wife’s matter is straightforward since he is only applying for an adjustment of the evaluation.
He also stated that he applied to the council for an adjustment of the rates and taxes because there is no rates appeal panel to address such issues. The alternative in such cases is to write to the council or the Minister of Local Government on the issue.
Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green told this newspaper, when contacted, that the mayor’s action is a normal practice that has been done by a number of persons in the past. She said the council has granted waivers on rates and taxes to various persons in the past, who have applied to them. She also said that the mayor’s wife’s matter is currently before the council for deliberation and will come up at the next statutory meeting.
Chase-Green also said that had there been a rates appeal panel, the mayor would not have had to take the issue to the council or the minister. She also stated that Sooba was taking the matter on a personal level in respect to them seeking her removal rather than addressing the
real issue.
During the course of last month, Green had asked for the immediate removal of Sooba after she refused to hold a meeting he had requested her to. But prior this, members of the council had also called for her removal because they claimed that she refuses to carry out the decisions of the council. Others stated that she is not competent for the position she occupies. They had also said that her incompetence is affecting the capital city by allowing it to deteriorate.
