Dear Editor,
The Mayor and City Council is still to present and approve a budget for fiscal year 2024.
Further, as stipulated in Guyana’s Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01, Section 156, the City Council must submit a detailed report of all monies received, expended, and applied during the preceding financial year by March 31 each year. Additionally, this report must be made available for public inspection, with notice given to the public. It is now the end of May, and our City has neither a budget for the current year nor an account of how funds were managed last year. This delay is a legal oversight and a breach of public trust.
Furthermore, the City Council, headed by Mayor Alfred Mentore, is in breach of Chapter 28:01, Section 155, which states that the City Council shall no later than the fifteenth day of November in every year cause to be submitted to them estimates of the revenues and expenditures for the next financial year. This was not done until April 24 at a special statutory meeting, when a draft budget was presented. However, neither the Mayor nor the Finance Committee Chair could provide satisfactory answers to questions from PPP/C councillors about the origins of budget figures. It was blatantly clear that the budget was a copy-and-paste job from the previous year’s budget, which itself had been copied from the budget before that. It was obvious that neither trend analysis nor cost adjustments—essential techniques for reviewing past spending trends and adjusting for inflation or changes in service requirements—were done. Additionally, as far as I know, no councillor was consulted about constituency needs. This lack of originality and scrutiny is profoundly troubling and suggests a severe disregard for responsible financial planning and governance.
While the Mayor has historically been quick to shift the blame onto the administration, it must be emphasised that determining policy matters and strategic direction is not the administration’s role. The draft budget presented weeks ago demonstrates a worrying absence of policy guidance and strategic vision. Financial decisions are made in an ad hoc manner with no regard for future financial implications. Alarmingly, the draft budget had virtually nothing allocated towards capital expenditures, reflecting a lack of commitment to the City’s development and long-term growth. This failure reflects poorly on our City’s leadership and commitment to effective governance.
Editor, given the lack of information about revenues and expenditures for fiscal year 2023, which I have requested on multiple occasions and should have been provided by March 31, Councillors cannot verify compliance with fiscal guidelines and effective budgetary management. I must note that not many PNCR councillors have expressed much concern about this woeful state of affairs.
The implications of this situation are grave. Without a proper budget, our City risks operational inefficiency, financial mismanagement, and a further decline in public services. Furthermore, the continued lack of transparency and accountability will continue to erode public trust and can lead to legal and compliance issues.
I am willing to bet that before year end, the PNCR-led council will again find itself severely cash-strapped and revert to its well-worn mantra of victimisation by the PPP/C Central Government. But their negligence and lack of accountability render any potential financial support from the Central Government not only baseless but utterly speculative. How can support be quantified without a budget? With no budget established, the question remains about how the Central Government is expected to subsidise the M&CC, and if so, to what extent and on what basis.
Mayor Mentore must take immediate steps to rectify this situation. We need a budget that reflects thoughtful planning, strategic direction, and responsible financial management. Our residents deserve transparency and accountability from those elected to serve them. It is time for our city leaders to step up and fulfil their obligations to the community.
Sincerely,
Alfonso De Armas
PPP/C City Councillor
