Five municipalities presented 2015 budget estimates to the Local Government Ministry on Monday, while acting Town Clerk for Georgetown Carol Sooba said the city’s Mayor and City Council failed to prepare its estimates as the entity has no finance chairman and encountered some “political issues” at a meeting set to prepare the figures.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, the municipalities presented their 2015 budget estimates and revenue of expenditure to Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker at a meeting held on Monday at the ministry’s Kingston office. The meeting was held under the theme ‘Advancing Effective Municipal Financial Management and Control in 2015.’
Rose Hall Town Council presented an estimated $42.8M budget expenditure; Anna Regina $87,819,140, which saw an increase of over $9M; New Amsterdam, $138, 907, 949 with an increase of over $8M; Corriverton, $75, 675, 596; and Linden $128, 271, 444.
Meanwhile, Sooba told the meeting that despite being hampered by the absence of a finance chairman, a meeting was organised with the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to prepare the expenditure but the deputy mayor and other persons failed to show up.
In response, the minister said he was disappointed at this development.
Meanwhile, the meeting heard that no single municipality received 50% of the budgeted revenues. “Bearing in mind that the prime source and revenue for you is your rates and taxes, you are talking about doing re-evaluation of property and increasing rates… If people are paying so much money and are not able to collect 50% of that, what will change if you collect more?” Whittaker asked.
He then said that the councils are not actively engaging defaulting ratepayers and better services cannot be provided to those who are meeting their responsibilities. He then urged the councils to implement firm policies and programmes which will help in the collection of revenues.
About $50M was spent to rehabilitate and modernise all markets except for those in Georgetown, which were done under a programme aimed at reducing roadside vending, the GINA release said. However, the minister said there has been no increase in revenue flows in those municipalities though it had been expected.
In response to the budgeted increases in salaries for workers, Whittaker said citizens’ concerns are paramount and the municipalities must seek ways to improve services that are delivered to the populace.
In addition, he said he was disappointed at the implementation of the 2014 programmes as most of the councils have not expended 50% of what had been budgeted for and an account needs to be given.
The minister then urged the councils to move away from the traditional means of garnering revenue and generate some new ideas to enhance the provision of services to the people.
