A fresh start as towns, NDCs seems to be full of energy and enthusiasm!

Dear Editor,
As the newly elected councillors to the Municipalities and Neighborhood Democratic Councils take up their seats, they must move swiftly in seriously organizing the work and advancing meaningful initiatives, as our citizens across the various Local Authority Areas (LAAs).
Residents are looking forward to improvements in capacity-building and services.
The mayors, chairpersons and councillors must be astute, and get down to serious planning after conducting a thorough situational assessment of the state of affairs in the LAA which they will preside, giving particular attention to what they are taking over. As far as possible, there must first be a proper handover and take-over process, and the immediate set up of an appropriate possible work schedule to prioritize the efficient delivery of critical services.
As statutory institutions, the Neighbourhood Democratic and Municipal Councils have the legal authority to collect rates and taxes, and expend the revenues for addressing costs associated with service support activities. The proper accountability for these revenues falls within the ambit of maintaining auditable records while ensuring optimized community benefits from supportive initiatives and other expected cyclical activities. Critically, therefore, establishing a functional monitoring-and-feedback mechanism augers well in providing that the Councils play a timely and meaningful role in responding to the reasonable expectations of citizens.
In addressing the preceding, it is appropriate and necessary for the Councils to establish, from the elected councillors, responsible committees for crucial areas of responsibility. These generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Financial, Works, Sports, and Enhancement Committees; which must be all-inclusive. The committees must be appointed/elected with a solid intention to get productive things done in the communities.
With massive development at the national level and the development work by the Regional Democratic Council, the NDCs must work closely with all to accelerate capacity-building, helping to improve security, building partnerships, coordinating with community groups and non-governmental organizations to realize synergies and enhance their communities.
The communities must benefit from better garbage cleaning activities, clearing of drains and alleyways, fixing ‘potholes’ early, and planned work schedules to clean community centres, health centres and other public venues. Our Citizens Group, policing group, must feel comfortable working with the NDCs. The togetherness will bring about more involvement of all our people in developing our communities.
We must motivate residents to gravitate and embrace our NDC/councillors. Our councillors must be more visible, and create a solid and positive impact on the communities. The approach to Works and services to the respective communities must also be with the full involvement of the councillors, and the Council MUST ensure a zero-tolerance policy to corrupt practices at the various levels, including those designed to frustrate the patience of persons requiring the services of the administrative offices.
Our new Councils must demand, and uphold and develop, policy approaches that would improve the delivery of professional responses from the administrative staff, including the overseers and other functionaries, who must show respect to the people in the LAA. In this regard, issuing compliance and services by the council must be done expeditiously, while submitting applications for the approval of building plans and simple permissions must not take weeks; but be done in a relatively nondiscriminatory manner, and within the shortest possible time.
The New councillors must create an immediate positive impression on the electorate who elected them, and the fresh start following the recent elections has provided the basis for a genuinely enthusiastic team of persons working together.
Individually and collectively, councillors’ engagements must target the necessary representation of aligning the community development with progressive national and regional development focus. The new buzz offers a sense of improved expectations that community residents are encouraged to support. The endeavours of the “One Guyana” approach led by His Excellency President Irfaan Ali and the PPPC administration serve to guarantee national and Governmental support and these certainly lend to incentivizing the work of the councillors and the respective councils.
Once supported now, the community will not be left behind!

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar