Councillors fail to show up to City budget presentation
– Mayor expresses dissatisfaction with APNU absenteeism
May 12, 2021 , Source - https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...budget-presentation/
Kaieteur News – Councillors yesterday failed to show up at the City Council’s budget presentation, causing the presentation to be postponed – as a result of the absent Councillors, Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine, expressed his dissatisfaction, particularly with his fellow A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine.
Yesterday’s budget presentation was scheduled for 10:00hrs, in the Town Council’s Chambers at City Hall, Georgetown. The Chairman of the Finance Committee, Oscar Clarke, was slated to present the Council’s budget. However, at 10:45hrs a number of Councillors from APNU, Alliance For Change (AFC) and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic were still absent and the presentation was postponed. There are 30 Councillors on the City Council, 21 APNU Councillors, two AFC Councillors, and seven PPP/C Councillors.
There were just nine APNU Councillors yesterday at the presentation.
Mayor Narine, an APNU representative on the Council, expressed his disappointment in his fellow APNU Councillors being absent, considering that, the presentation was short of three Councillors for a quorum.
The Mayor further stated that the Councillors would be notified of the new date for the presentation. On the new date set for the budget presentation, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is expected to present its annual Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure to the citizens of Georgetown.
The M&CC budget in the past had dealt with the following: regulatory reform; the introduction and implementation of new by–laws and upgrading of old ones; infrastructure reform; substantial improvement in environmental and public health services to local communities; capacity building to improve required competencies of staff and to upgrade Council’s technological capabilities, to improve service delivery; good corporate governance and financial management; green urban development and the implementation of an Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy in the City of Georgetown.
As stipulated in the Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:01 Section 155(2), Councillor Clarke will present the budget and copies of the estimates approved by the Council shall be submitted to the Minister with responsibility and copies shall be made available for public inspection.