Garbage collection is expectedly to resume in the city shortly as City Hall is expected to honour its financial obligations to garbage contractors, who have withdrawn their services over overdue payments.
Reports are that the council yesterday received some $40M from the government, covering taxes owed to the municipality by the administration for the first quarter of 2011.
City Hall has been indebted to the waste disposal companies for work done between the last half of December 2010 and April 30 this year. The two companies, during negotiations with the municipality recently, requested payments for work done up to the end of February, representing a sum of $30M.
PRO (ag) of the City Council Diane Lewis told Stabroek News yesterday that the municipality has been able to pay its two contracted disposal services, Cevon’s Waste Management Inc. and Puran Brothers’ Waste Disposal Services some $5.4M, of the total $70M owed to them.
Lewis noted that yesterday’s receipt of the sum owed by the government puts the municipality in a better position to offset the sum requested by the waste disposal companies, while adding that the council will now decide on the way forward.
City Hall has been utilising its own resources in picking up garbage in and around the city, with efforts placed recently on clearing the main business zones of the city.
Meantime, this newspaper understands that City Hall is considering instituting the sale of properties of delinquent property rate payers within Georgetown as one of several options to reduce its financial strains which has troubled it in recent times.
Reports out of City Hall are that the measure may be put in place soon and the council is expected to meet shortly to ratify the decision, with focus placed on the commercial areas within the city.
Lewis told Stabroek News yesterday that the council, under the city bylaws, has the power to sell properties of delinquent rate payers. She said the municipality has the right to part execution and selling of properties.
In recent times, the Georgetown City Council has found itself against the wall as regards payments to the private contracted companies, and the situation has resulted in residents having to develop their own means to disposing of their garbage.
The Council has charged that its financial situation had been the result of huge sums owed to the unit in rates and taxes.
