And while the City is pioneering with the disaster preparedness conference, they've also got ongoing issues with the Sanitation Companies contracted to keep the city clean. Belize Waste Control is grumbling that the city has once again fallen behind in its current payments – and then there's the 2 plus million dollars that City Hall owes the company form years ago, which is presently before the Supreme Court. Today Mayor Bradley said that – as much as it lays waste to the Council's revenue base – they're trying to keep up:..
Reporter
"The council is 6 weeks or multiple weeks behind payment to Belize Waste Control"
Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"No, every single year the City Council falls behind in realtion the payments. I have always said and I maintain that the contracts are major - they're substantial. Both sanitation contracts operate as a 45% drain on the city - it costs us 45% of our revenues that we spend on these two contracts; that's an unsustainable thing. Any period at any year - this has been done before me and it will likely be done after me if something cannot be done - that certain periods of the year that we deem as our slow season, we fall behind in the contracts. We have not fallen behind - we usually are a week or two behind, I don't know the exact accounting in where we are but we catch up in January and February. We have to go back to court - the court gave us an opportunity to present a payment plan to them - we are going to present a payment plan, I have already maintained that the city is doing well. We are building streets, we are right on target in terms of our commitment, we are meeting our commitment with relations to the municipal bond and that is even though we have not put in place the residential garbage fee yet. So even though we have not brought on stream that additional tax revenue, we're still meeting our obligations and we're doing well but this is a $2.4 million dollar judgment and I don't have any account that that money is in. If I had the money I would pay them - so what we're going to do when we go back to court is that we are going to put forward a payment plan and if they don't accept the payment plan then we will see what else we will have to do."
The document obtained by 7news shows that the council last paid waster control a week ago, but for the week ending May 31st.
Email
Print