GT Mayor proposes garbage plans, security deposits for city businesses

Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore is proposing that Commercial businesses operating in the city be required to develop garbage management plans and provide a security deposit to help address waste disposal issues associated with their operations. This came on the heels of growing concerns over garbage accumulation in Georgetown. Only recently, this publication reported that the city was plagued by what was described as an eyesore, as Regent Street, Georgetown, presented a messy scene, with several business fronts littered with garbage over the weekend. Solid Waste Manager for the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Walter Narine, told this publication months ago that strict policing will be undertaken, as such practices are not tolerable. Narine stated that most store owners were responsible for the littering and emphasised that businesses are required to have 12-cubic-yard receptacles. However, he indicated that some leniency will be given, as consultations with business owners are expected to begin on Tuesday. On Monday, at a Statutory Meeting at City Hall, Mayor Alfred Mentore raised concerns over the growing garbage problem in Georgetown, pointing to what he described as inadequate resources to address the increasing volume of waste. Mentore noted that the city’s population has grown, resulting in a corresponding increase in garbage. He said discussions have since been held on the matter, with several issues emerging that he believes must be formally addressed at the Council level. “We will have to look back at persons who own these businesses in the city. Businesses in the city who have all these stores split up into different, different things. And I strongly believe those persons will have to provide us with some form of a garbage plan. And even a retroactive arrangement to deal with those matters. And even new businesses that want to have those kinds of stores and so on in the city, they must leave with us some kind of a deposit of security or something of the sort.”

Not paying correct taxes
He then proposed that steps be taken to ensure commercial property owners are properly assessed and pay the appropriate rates and taxes to the City Council. Mentore said the Council must examine the number of commercial properties operating in the city whose owners, he believes, are not paying the correct rates and taxes and move to ensure that those properties are properly assessed. “And which I will engage one of our attorneys on this matter to see how this could be implemented. Because a lot of people getting a free pass. Many of the persons are paying us some tax which is not even the rightful amount as a commercial building.”
To this end, he was advised by a member on the M&CC team that an arrangement was suggested during the first year of the last cycle of the Council, whereby businesses would begin paying a separate fee for waste management. “What about if we have them provide a waste management plan? So in that plan they will also have to leave with us a deposit of our security. And if they violate, we pick it up. But I’m of the view that those forces should, based on the building and the size and where they remain and all these stores, it can’t be left on us to have to pick up [their garbage]. They should have some responsibility. If they want us to pick it up, they can ask, because it’s unfair for us to have to clean it…even those future buildings that we choose to grant approvals,” the Mayor proposed. The issue will also be pursued at the legal and City Works Committee levels, with efforts being made to determine how the matter can be properly regulated and managed.
The Mayor said he intends to reach out to one of the City Council’s attorneys for advice on how the issue can be addressed, including what arrangements could be put in place to properly manage and regulate the matter. He said the solution must go beyond cleanup exercises and enforcement, stressing that all relevant stakeholders must be involved. According to Mentore, the issue cannot be addressed by the City Council alone, as businesses, property owners, residents and other stakeholders all have a role to play in finding a sustainable solution. Georgetown’s City Hall over the years has come under repeated criticism over its financial management and operations, prompting calls from Government officials, residents and independent observers for greater transparency, accountability and improved oversight.