(This is the second instalment in a series on local government in anticipation of the municipal and local government elections which are supposed to be held before the end of the year.)
Ask anyone what the duties of a Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) are and they will give you a list which includes collecting garbage but in Industry/Plaisance the Council doesn’t collect solid waste.
According to Chairman Rodwell Lewis there simply is not enough money for that service especially since the rates paid by residents have remained constant for more than two decades.
“When I entered office the NDC owed Cevons Waste Management approximately $8 million. It was simple mathematics. Each time a bin is emptied we paid the company $300 and they collected twice per month. So it was $600 per month per household equaling $7200 per household each year when residential rates are $5,700 per year. The rates and taxes doesn’t reach the cost, that’s why we are in the red. Presently we are not offering that service to residents,” he explained.
