Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has recommended that the Human Resources Committee take disciplinary action against three officers of the City Engineers Department over flooding in the city.
The mayor made the recommendation at yesterday’s statutory meeting after she reported that some of the pumps and sluices in the city were not in operation. The officers, she said, had neglected their duties and demonstrated a lack of cooperation.
“After making a visit…, I contacted the City Engineer and he told me that he has not been getting the cooperation of the engineers…,” she said adding, “Things that could not have been done in weeks were done in 48 hours.”
According to the mayor the three officers were tasked with managing the sluices and pumps in the city and submitting regular reports to Engineer Colvern Venture, but failed to do so.
The mayor said that during her visit last week, pump attendants informed her that the pump at Princes Street had been down for more than six weeks, after a battery was removed.
She also reported that the door at the Albouystown koker had not been able to close properly, resulting in some sections of the community being flooded during the high tide.
Subsequent to the flash flooding last December, the three engineers were placed on a rotating shift to overlook the operations of the sluices and pumps. She rhetorically questioned why the council should wait on officers to have issues resolved in a timely manner, adding that it was unfortunate because the persons suffering are the citizens.
Chase-Green said it was unfortunate that such simple matters had to reach the level of the council.
Meanwhile, Town Clerk Royston King informed the council that a meeting was already scheduled for the officers to appear before the committee.
The council was also informed by Venture that all pumps are currently functioning.
Earlier this year, the Mayor had announced during a statutory meeting that 2017 would be a different year for the municipality and the council would not be tolerating nonsense from officers. Chase-Green had said that officers of the council must be prepared to work as she was committed to changing the image of the City Council.