Bartica town council looking at over $130M budget for 2025 – Mayor

The Mayor and Town Council (M&TC) of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) is proposing an approximate $132 million budget for next year 2025.
This proposed budget was revealed by Bartica’s Mayor Anthony Murry on Tuesday during an interview with Guyana Times. The Mayor told this publication that the council has made a proposal to secure some $32 million to execute several small projects outside of capital works.
“So, we’re looking at approximately, from our office outside of capital works from our area. We were looking at a few small things that would come up to approximately $32 million.”
In relation to the enhancement of infrastructure such as roads and drainage systems, the Mayor revealed that the council will be lobbying to secure over $100 million in Financing from the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry. This allocation the Mayor noted will cater for the enhancement of throughfares, particularly in the central Bartica area.
“Outside of that, we also send another capital project, to have some roads done in some location in the central Bartica that were never done. So we’re looking at roads, drain investments with concrete, smaller drains. We’re looking at over once the Ministry passes it through as a priority that will be approximately over $100 million.”
Moreover, the Mayor also highlighted some of the projects that the town council, would have proposed to better the lives of Bartica residents. One such project is the planting of street lights within several areas of the town.
“One of our items that we will submit as capital projects for the year 2024 that comes out from the subvention which amounts to $18 million, every year we would receive within two parts. So, we are now looking to carry out the project of lighting in areas that certainly are most in need of lighting in the areas and also lights that went in critical locations do that is what we are presently looking at.”
The Mayor also revealed that, the council would’ve invested in improving the towns drainage and irrigation systems. These efforts he said will continue in 2025 to eliminate flooding during the rainy seasons.
“And also, we had a few Kokers that we completed and culvert based on experiencing the heavy rainfall and because of how the terrain is in Bartica, we would normally have water rushing down to the low flats. And there is a particular area that we normally get flooding however we looked at that. As part of our programme for 2025 we have earmarked for a major koker as well as pumps to be placed in these areas.”
Additionally, the Mayor highlighted that his administration has been working alongside the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) to ensure all residents of the town have access to clean portable water. He noted that GWI Is currently constructing a water treatment plant within the five-miles area.
“So, the new housing scheme that is ongoing right now is six, seven miles. There was a need for GWI to set up a treatment plant. The new one that is being prepared and executed right now, they have the existing one, which is five miles. Normally, GWI has a problem in sending the pressure way up to five miles because you go higher. So, we, again, along with the Government and the different Ministries, we’re happy to see that we have GWI is now in the process of constructing a new water treatment plant in five-miles area. And it started, we should be completing that by the first quarter of 2025.”
The Mayor explained that his administration will continue to carry out statutory work which include the maintenance of alleyways, parkways, drains, lights, etc. He added that they will also continue to work alongside the Government to continue improving the lives of the town’s residents.