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November and December are the high months for City Council revenue because that’s when property tax is paid. So then, why isn’t Belize Maintenance Limited which cleans the city getting paid? Yesterday the Mayor Zenaida Moya and councilor with responsibility for sanitation Philip Willoughby were clueless. The Mayor said it was the financial controller’s responsibility and Willoughby said he’d have to check into it. Well he did. And guess what...breaking news...the City Council is broke, again. Willoughby explained the position to us today.

Phillip Willoughby, City Councilor - Sanitation
“At this point in time Keith the council is not in a position to service the contractor.”

Keith Swift,
“So what’s going to happen?”

Phillip Willoughby,
“Well being at the council today and speaking with the relevant personnel who deal with finances, the various departments of the council will step up trying to collect some revenue as quickly as possible and so we can deal with the council’s obligations as it pertains to our expense in a matter of high priority and urgency.

We have several operations that will be in place. I know that whilst we are heading, and not quite there yet, the kickoff of the high season for the council, we hope that we get there and we are prepared to deal with our obligations. But until we get there, the financial outlook and forecast that were projected after reassessing the sanitation contracts and obligations, haven’t been met.”

Keith Swift,
“Mr. Ellis is saying that you guys signed an agreement with him last month and then now you can’t pay him.”

Phillip Willoughby,
“Yes and this is what I am saying, you only make commitments….”

Keith Swift,
“You breached an agreement, you shouldn’t have signed the agreement if you know you can’t pay.”

Phillip Willoughby,
“Those agreements or any agreements are based on financial outlooks and estimates. Any financial person can tell you that you have to do estimates and forecasting and if that hasn’t been realized and it hasn’t materialized then you back to the drawing board and look at went wrong and what didn’t occur and hopefully that does occur and we collect the revenue that the council needs. But in the meantime we as a people now facing this sanitation problem quite often, we need to play our role as responsible citizens. Tell your children, tell yourself, not to drop the garbage on the street, don’t litter. There are laws on the books that say an individual household or landlord should keep in front…..”

Keith Swift,
“So we should BML’s job?”

Phillip Willoughby,
“No I am not saying that. I am telling you to be responsible. I am asking you to change your culture or the norm of how we do things.”

According to BML’s owner Lawrence Ellis, who has lad off 100 workers, he can only pay his remaining 50 workers for another week after which he’ll also have to lay them off.