Linden Mayor and Town Council settle amicably

Sep 22, 2017 News

…after LUSCSL cuts power for unpaid bills

Chairman of The Linden Utility Services Cooperative Society Limited (LUSCSL) Charles Sampson, has said that the power company and the Linden Mayor and Town Council came to an ‘amicable understanding’ yesterday, during a meeting at LUSCSL.
The meeting was to deal with a situation where the entity was forced to take drastic action against the municipality which was in arrears in its payment for the supply of power from the entity.
Sampson stated further, that LUSCSL had not breached any regulations in removing power from either the Daycare which is run by the municipality or its Wismar Market Office.
“They were in arrears and we do what we would normally do, whenever anyone is in arrears. We couldn’t take off the street lights because that could jeopardize the security of the entire community, so we took off the lights from the two facilities to get their attention, “Sampson said.
He expressed satisfaction with yesterday’s meeting. It ended amicably; the municipality cleared the outstanding bill for both facilities, which amounted, close to $200,000, he said.
Power was subsequently restored to the market and Daycare, even before the stipulated time frame of 72 hours for reconnection had elapsed, and without the usual reconnection fee, Sampson said.
It was also pointed out by a board member of the LUSCSL, that the decision to remove power from the two municipal facilities was only taken after correspondences to the municipality on the issue were ignored.
LUSCSL had come in for harsh criticisms for the removal of power to the municipality’s Daycare, with many taking to social media to vent their disapproval, citing the discomfort to infants the action had caused.
Mayor Carwyn Holland said that he had requested the meeting with LUSCSL to express his disappointment in the action that was taken. He said that it resulted in the discomfort of infants who had to endure the sweltering heat.
Holland said that two proposals were put forward by the council, to resolve the longstanding matter of arrears with LUSCSL, which the council inherited.
The first proposal, Holland said, is for the Council to pay $251,470, then pay separately for the Daycare and market monthly, instead of the $120,000 that is currently being paid. The second proposition was to end the age old dispute, by agreeing to settle the arrears with 50% of the assumed debt.
The Mayor said that the disconnection was irresponsible and uncaring as babies and toddlers should have never been used as baits to get the council to the negotiating table. He was however satisfied that the matters were amicably resolved.
LUSCSL had on Wednesday disconnected power from the municipality’s Daycare facility because of millions of dollars in arrears, purportedly owed by the town Council.
Chairman of LUSCSL Charles Sampson said that the Council had not been honouring its obligation to pay its debt to the utility service as had been promised. He added that the council had been granted a lot of leniency, in the past, to the extent where members of the utility, had questioned Board members about the prevailing issue.
The Linden Utility Services Cooperative Society Limited (LUSCSL) is one of the longest serving Cooperatives in Guyana.
It has been in the business of supplying electricity to its members on the Wismar shore for over fifty years.

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