Mayor pushes to revamp Municipal and District Council Act in 2020

Dec 30, 2019 News

Mayor Ubraj Narine is pushing to have the Municipal and District Council Act Chapter 28:01 revamped in the New Year.
The Mayor told reporters recently that “I will push for the Act to be revamped…there are just a few of the areas in need of changes, especially areas that present several limitations and impediments in the performance of our duties as councillors.
The lack of executive power in the council, the one-year term limit for Mayors and Deputy Mayors are just some the things we need to have addressed. The city’s building codes, general rates, and penalties for breaches are among the key issues set to be addressed,” the Mayor stated.
The Municipal Council Act defines the purposes and specific objectives of the municipality. It provides legal guidance to the Council and more specifically its members with provisions and open interpretations on how to run the council.
Sections of the Municipal and District Council Act are focused on issues of sanitation and health. The Act speaks to various fines, fees, and charges for breaches.
The upgraded law, the Mayor added, would result in stricter penalties and higher fees for breach to the sanitation laws, a matter that is of major concern to the municipality and citizens of Georgetown.
He noted that many of the shortcomings in the municipalities are due to inadequacies in the performance of staff, poor revenue collections, low fines, fees and charges.
He stressed therefore that one can hardly dispute that the amendments to Chapter 28:01 will contribute in a significant way to improving the way we do things in the municipality.
The Mayor noted the Council has been calling for an overhaul of the building codes. The codes have been up for review for the past two years.
“We have a set of building codes and they are currently being reviewed. There is no enforcement of the current codes, there are penalties for those who refuse to follow the codes but they are not strict enough.”

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