By Antonio Dey
Newly-elected Chief Citizen of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore on Monday said that the Mayor & City Council has collected 60% of its rates and taxes for the year so far.
On the sidelines of the swearing in of mayors and their deputies at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, he told Stabroek News that a significant portion of the outstanding 40% is owed by some government agencies which he did not name when asked.
Recently, outgoing Mayor of Georgetown Ubraj Narine said that the central government owed the Georgetown City Council over $13B in rates and taxes.
“The 40% that is outstanding we are working towards bringing that to 80 or 90%, as long as we have the sufficient resources and everyone is up to date with their rates and taxes, we will be able to have the development required for our people”, Mentore, who had served as Narine’s deputy, told this newspaper.
In this regard the Chief Citizen posited that shortly the Mayor & City Council (M&CC) will be meeting with Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh to discuss ways in which government agencies can be compliant and meet the required deadlines for the payment of rates and taxes.
“There are many government agencies who have honoured their commitment in relation to the payment of taxes, while there are some who still have outstanding payments which we will look at”, he said.
Mentore was elected mayor following a 19 to 11 vote in line with the A Partnership for National Unity’s majority. Deputy Mayor of Georgetown Denise Miller told Stabroek News that while the Mayor & City Council may be beset by a plethora of issues such as poor garbage disposal, solid waste management and maintenance of some municipal markets this all goes back to having adequate financing and full cooperation from central government.
In this regard, she is adamant that Georgetown can be restored to its former glory as the garden city, once there is full cooperation from Central Government.
Miller, a newcomer to the local government scene urged citizens to adopt a lifestyle of cleanliness and to desist from littering.
“It is a habit and a culture which needs to be changed, there is more need for awareness in relation to littering“, she said.
The Deputy Mayor also called for the placement of additional garbage receptacles at various city locations.
“Given the fact that a lot of investors are flooding our country as a result of the oil and gas sector, our capital city should be at a better standard”, she posited.
Meanwhile, newly-elected Deputy Mayor of New Amsterdam, Kirk Fraser said that the effective management of solid waste and the maintenance of drainage and irrigation are two areas of focus, which must be redressed.
According to him, three compactor refuse trucks were purchased to remedy the issue of improper solid waste disposal but the bugbear of the labour shortage still remains.
“We have some difficulty attracting labour at the moment, once that is sorted out the people of New Amsterdam will no longer be faced with issues such improper solid waste disposal”, Fraser told this newspaper.
