Special statutory meeting today to discuss way forward

The possibility of paid parking being reintroduced under a new system in the City of Georgetown may be soon realised now that the Parking Meter Renegotiating Committee has submitted its final report on the controversial project to the City’s Mayor. Additionally, the Mayor called a special statutory meeting to discuss the recommendations of the report.

Mayor Patricia Chase Green said the Committee’s Chairman, Councillor Akeem Peter presented the report to her on Monday.
“I am now in the process of looking at it to see what adjustments were being made and recommendations and so on. Tomorrow (today), we have a special meeting convened with all Councillors to look at it and determine if there is still any more adjustments to be done or if we agree with what the renegotiating team would have dealt with,” she informed.
She added that the renegotiating Committee would have met with all the parties involved more than once and thanked the members for their time. She said the Councillors would now have to debate the findings of the report and come to a consensus in relation to the parking meters.
The Mayor said because of the protests and the subsequent suspension of the controversial contract, both the City and the Company, Smart City Solutions, would have suffered major financial setbacks. She added that the contract is still valid and as such, there is a great sense of urgency to address the issue.
“It is a loss to the City Council and it is a loss to them also because they would have invested all of their monies to import all those machines so they had staff. They had to lay off in excess of 70-80 people and so it is a loss to both sides,” she added.

She also noted that the city needs parking meters.
“I can tell you that I have recognised that the whole country would have recognised and the drivers would have recognised that the parking meter is a good project,” Chase Green added.

Contract
The M&CC had entered into a contract with Smart City Solutions Inc on May 13, 2016, for parking meters to be implemented in Georgetown. However, the M&CC was forced to renegotiate the contract after citizens protested the implementation of the project. After weeks of protest, City Hall bowed to citizens’ pressure and sought to renegotiate the contact. However, citizens called for a total abandonment of the project.
The Renegotiating Committee was chaired by Councillor Peter and consisted of Councillors Noelle Chow-Chee (VC), Oscar Clark, Jameel Rasul, James Samuels, Heston Bostwick and Ivor Henry. Two members of the public also sat on the committee – Civil Engineer Owen Godfrey Edwards and Accountant Robin Hunte.
The Renegotiation Committee was tasked with engaging Smart City Solution with a view to renegotiating the terms of the agreement entered into between the parties and more specifically to seek to take into account the concerns raised and addressed in the reports of the Special Committee in relation to costs, fines, enforcement, profit-sharing, areas, times and other factors identified in relation to the project and any other relevant actions as the Committee may, in its discretion, determine or as may be suggested by the general council. Upon completion of the negotiation period, the new committee would have to prepare a report.