Latest update February 2nd, 2025 8:30 AM
May 12, 2009 News
Failure on the part of the relevant departments of the Georgetown municipality to bring clarity to the current financial state of the entity could see Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall, taking the matter to another level.
City Mayor Hamilton Green said that due to the state-of-affairs, the Minister has threatened to take action against the Acting Town Clerk, Ms. Yonette Pluck-Cort, and Acting Treasurer, Andrew Meredith. The action could possibly involve a police investigation.
The Mayor’s disclosure came during the municipality’s statutory meeting at City Hall yesterday. He noted that a letter, which pointed to the fact that the two officers are unable to account for monies, was inked by the Minister and sent to the municipality.
According to Green, the accounts of the municipality are yet to be settled as they relate to the entity’s involvement in Carifesta and Mashramani last year, thus the Minister had become concerned about the status of the monies that have been placed in the municipal coffers.
With a view to helping to sort the problem, the Mayor divulged that a member of the Auditor General’s team had visited the city entity yesterday.
And even as the municipality is being urged to put its house in order, the fates of the substantive Town Clerk Beulah Williams and Treasurer Roderick Edinboro, are expected to be revealed soon following the Minister’s perusal of the Commissioner of Inquiry report.
The need for an inquiry into the affairs of the municipality was rooted in the findings of the 2007 Auditor General’s Report, which suggested that there were major mismanagement and financial irregularities.
The findings had also greatly implicated the offices of the Town Clerk and the Treasurer thus warranting that the two officers be sent off on leave.
To determine the credibility of the AG report the Minister brought into being the Commission of Inquiry, and appointing Mr Keith Burrowes as Chairman.
Burrowes, with the aid of a support team, comprising representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Local Government and a union representative carried out thorough investigations over a six-month period into the way that the municipality is operated.
According to information reaching this newspaper a final report has already been submitted to the Minister who will make any final decisions relating to the operation of the entity.
This newspaper has been reliably informed that stark changes are likely for City Hall once the recommendations offered by Burrowes are implemented.
And to ensure that the municipality does not remain in limbo or made to look silly to the public and those it is mandated to serve, the City Mayor noted that efforts should be made to ask the Minister to hasten his examination of the report.
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