Though senior officials at City Hall are considering a decision to have a forensic audit conducted at the entity, a
Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan
decision is yet to be taken by the Council to confirm the proposal, as well as to settle on a commencement date.
This comes days after Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green declared that City Hall is broke. Speaking with Guyana Times on Saturday, Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan said that he was updated that the audit will only commence after the Council takes the decision to have this done. Asked whether he was aware of a confirmation for the proposal, Duncan informed that there is “no definite time span” that the Council is working around.
However, the proposal of having the audit continues to be high on the agenda of City Hall as it had been when the new Council was sworn in late March.
Prior to taking office, Duncan, during the Local Government Elections (LGE) debate, had underlined the importance of launching an audit into City Hall while linking it to the general development of the entity.
Subsequent to taking position in office, Duncan had declared that City Hall is in dire need of a forensic audit in light that a new Council had taken up office and an assessment of the previous Administration’s work was necessary.
As the new Councillors were taking up their respective positions in the various constituencies and would be strategising on how they can improve the living conditions for its residents, Duncan had affirmed that these persons were entitled to knowledge of the financial status of the entity.
This, he stated, would be effective for development as a more comprehensive breakdown can be given of the finances invested into City Hall.
He linked this to projects that the Councillors might be contemplating which would perceptibly require finances.
This would not only be applied to the financial sector but every aspect of transactions in City Hall, Duncan had clarified.
Meanwhile, Mayor Chase Green after taking up her position had additionally given her consent for the audit to be conducted, noting that in 2011 and 2012 during her service as part of the Council, she had called on the Auditor General to have this launched.
This was however not given priority; hence City Hall had been without an audit and had been deemed corrupt.
