The City Council is consulting stakeholders on its 2017 budget

Nov 19, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown is at its’ final stage of deliberating on what should be the scope and substance of the City’s Budget. A budget presentation brings with it optimism and expectancy on the part of the citizenry that the Council would fulfill its statutory obligations to the City. Likewise, the Council projects that rate payers would honor their civic obligations to the Municipality so that their hopes and expectations can be realized. Budgetary procedure requires that the Municipality consults with communities when setting its priorities, developing its plans and allocating resources. In honoring this requirement the Council was engaged in community consultations over a two months period in the City of Georgetown.
These dual purpose consultations presented the opportunities for the residents to advance the interest of the various communities and to allow the Council to have an understanding of the felt needs of the communities. It is anticipated that the felt needs articulated by residents would help to inform and shape the Council’s 2017 budget. An analysis of the needs of the communities revealed that desilting and cleaning of drains and canals is a number one priority, followed by the need for street lights and the provision of environmental health services.
The 2016 Community consultations re-emphasized the need for drainage works to be done in several communities and the importance of a continuous cycle of maintenance. Further, all citizens must practice good environmental health habits, so that the City’s waterways and canals would be litter free. In summation drainage works is imperative to the integrity and health of the City.
Although, the main interest expressed during the community outreaches was the need to maintain the integrity of the drainage system; the importance of the other core services cannot be de-emphasized. At the consultations the need and importance of street lights were widely vocalized; not only to provide illumination for residents but as a security mechanism. It therefore becomes necessary that the Georgetown City Council and the Guyana Power and Light come to a definite compromise and address the issue of street lighting in the City for the common good.
The third area of priority was the need to urgently address environmental health concerns. This points to the fact that the Council must have the requisite human resources to provide the environmental health services to the people of the City. Over the years, there has been a manpower shortage in this area. The deficits resulted in some residents violating the environmental health laws with impunity; much to the concern of others. Currently, the Council is working to address this; hence, in 2017 the provision of environmental health services would be increased.
All in all, City Dwellers have clearly articulated their needs, and those needs would be translated into budgetary allocations for 2017. In 2016, the Council focused on the cleaning and desilting of drains, the rehabilitation of Municipal Buildings and restoration of play areas and training staff. Also, for the period 2015-2016, the Council had embarked on a relentless cleaning drive in several communities across the City. The Municipality utilized the community stakeholder model, which provided an opportunity for residents of local communities to be employed, simultaneously evoking a sense of pride and commitment to the local communities.
The fact remains that it would take the Municipality approximately 3 billion dollars annually to provide core services needed. The truism is, the rates collected are inadequate to meet the demands of a city that is moving towards urban renewal. Hence, it is urgent that the Council finds other revenue earning avenues to sustain its services and remain economically viable.
The challenge the Council faces time and again, is that every time the Georgetown Municipality seeks to employ a new revenue earning venture there is wide spread criticisms.
The time has come that we all must all confront the realities before us; general rates can no longer suffice, in light of the fact that the Council has not increased property rates for over twenty years.
Debra Lewis
Public Relation Officer

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