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Govt. will not approve increase in city’s rates and taxes – Min. Dharamlall

Nov 26, 2022 News --- Source --- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...axes-min-dharamlall/

By Shervin Belgrave

Kaieteur News – The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government will not approve an increase in the City’s rates and taxes, Minister of Local Government, Nigel Dharamlall said Friday at a press conference.

“We [the PPP/C] have campaigned on a platform that we will not increase rates and taxes in this country and our government will ensure that rates and taxes will not be increased,” the Minister said.

Dharamlall was responding to calls by City Mayor Ubraj Narine for a hike in rates and taxes so that the Mayor and City Council is able to execute its mandate effectively. In August, Narine told reporters that there were property owners on Regent and Robb Streets that pay $16,000 and $20,000 a year in rates and taxes despite having five and six storey buildings.

The Mayor said a proposal was made for rates and taxes to be revaluated since no revaluation was done in the last 26 years but the government is not cooperating.

“…and the council cannot survive on the current tax rates,” Narine stated.

However, at Friday’s press conference Dharamlall, however said that even if the government decides to grant Narine’s request, he thinks that imposing higher fees on the people of Georgetown is ‘unconscionable’.

Dharamlall said that the City Council has access to enough resources to maintain the city and said the Council is cash-strapped because of bad management.

“Collectable revenue in the city over the last few years and historically is around $2.2B and the council has presented budgets on that revenue base,” the Minister said while noting that the Council has failed to pursue monies owed to it. Further, he said that the Council’s annual budget has large amounts of money allotted for employment costs and not for the maintenance for the city.

“Sixty percent of their budget goes to labour… hundreds of millions of dollars,” Dharamlall said while adding, “If you go through the budget, there is a miniscule amount of money placed towards solid waste management by the city of Georgetown and which is possibly the major issue that affects the management of Georgetown”

The Minister accused the Council of allocating “limited resources for enforcement through the city constabulary “but set aside tens of millions or even more for public relations [Services]”.

He told reporters that it is because of City Hall’s poor management that the Ministries of Local Government and Agriculture have been doing “most of the heavy lifting” to keep city clean and ensure that it is properly drained during the torrential rains experienced over the last few years.

Dharmalall made it clear that “imposing higher fees will not change the dynamics for the City Council… only getting its work done will”.

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council has been in a cash-strapped position for more than a decade. This has resulted in its inability to pay staff, contractors and other workers on time and take care of additional debt.

In August, Mayor Narine accepted that while bad management of resources has a role to play in the Council’s difficult circumstances, he said that the Government has also been stifling the Council. He said that by law, the Council should receive a yearly subvention of more than $700M but Government only provided $30M, this year.

That aside, the Mayor disclosed that the Government has not been approving many of its plans to rid the city of its financial woes. This resulted in the Council filing a deficit of over $71M in its 2022 budget.

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Stop splurging – Dharamlall to City Hall

…calls for enforcement of existing littering laws
Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall on Friday opined that the Georgetown City Council should increase its spending in the area of solid waste management and avoid splurging in unimportant areas.
He was fielding questions during a press briefing, where questions were raised on new bylaws presented by the Council earlier this year to address solid waste management and littering.
Dharamlall pointed out that the collectible revenue for the municipality is about $2.2 billion. However, just a small fraction is set aside for solid waste management – an area which he believes needs adequate resources.

Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine

“I think that what needs to happen at City Hall is much more than the political manoeuvrings in the public that is pursued and for the administration to take account of managing the city much better. If you go through the budget, there is a minuscule amount of money placed towards solid waste management by the City of Georgetown, which is possibly the major issue that affects the management of Georgetown,” the Minister noted.

According to Dharamlall, the greater imposition of fees in the city will not remedy the issue with the existing operations, but rather put additional strain on stakeholders.

“What they’re proposing is to impose greater fees and it is not the imposition of the fees that will change the dynamic on the ground. It is actually getting the work done. They have not been pursuing and collecting what is owed to them…We have seen limited resources placed on enforcement but what we have seen is tens of millions going to public relations. We have seen hundreds of millions go towards employment and who are these people?” he questioned.

One of the propositions in the new bylaws was to have heftier penalties for littering. Commenting on this, the Local Government Minister said that the existing laws should be enforced instead.

“The city has bylaws as well as national laws which, of course, supersede bylaws that can be implemented to manage all of our Local Authority Areas. There is a law against littering and what they have to do is make sure they enforce the laws.”

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council, under the Municipal and District Act, Chapter 28:01, is allowed to fine persons $10,000 for littering while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can penalise an individual for up to $50,000 while a corporate body can be issued a fine of $100,000.

Meanwhile, it has been pointed out that Government Ministries have also been assisting significantly in solid waste management and clearances of drainage networks, especially as the rainy season persists.

“Our Ministries have been the ones doing the heavy lifting. The Ministry of Agriculture have basically provided all the resources to keep the city clean and drains properly. Despite the torrential rains, we have been able to manage the drainage system of Georgetown,” he outlined. (G12)

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FM
Last edited by Former Member
@Mitwah posted:

Improper garbage disposal, littering high in the city ...

Here are members of the Official Garbage Committee performing a Situation Analysis.

Perhaps  Ubraj Narine is loudly laughing and saying ----

"Eh-eh ... iz only soo little mess dem kan mek ... me wan' fuh see much, much, MUCH more."

FM
@Mitwah posted:

Improper garbage disposal, littering high in the city ...

Here are members of the Official Garbage Committee performing a Situation Analysis.

@Former Member posted:

Perhaps  Ubraj Narine is loudly laughing and saying ----

"Eh-eh ... iz only soo little mess dem kan mek ... me wan' fuh see much, much, MUCH more."

Eh eh , one man's trash is another man's treasure. There is a lot of value if only they could recycle:

  • Plastic Bottles & Containers. Clean and dry containers, then put the cap back on before tossing.
  • Food & Beverage Cans.
  • Paper.
  • Flattened Cardboard & Paperboard. ...
  • Food & Beverage Containers.
  • Glass Bottles & Containers.

BTW.

There are the 3 types of Recycling:
  • Mechanical Recycling. One of the most globally used methods of giving residues new usages is mechanic recycling. ...
  • Energy Recycling. The method used to convert plastics into both thermal and electric energy is called energy recycling. ...
  • Chemical Recycling.
Mitwah

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