The Belize City Council has to pay almost sixty thousand dollars weekly to pick up the city's garbage. The private contractor, Belize Waste Control has had the contract - at one fixed price for over a decade - and now, the council has signed up for another decade. Deputy Mayor Oscar Arnold told us more yesterday:...
Oscar Arnold, Deputy Mayor
"What our council did was that we passes a resolution to try to bring together everything that was either won or lost in any litigation to try to condensed the contract and the amount of amendments and other side agreements that was signed and that's all we did. There was nothing increased as far as the payments and the value of the contract. There was nothing increase or decrease as far as the scope of work goes and that is the only thing that this council wanted to do."
"There is a renewal clause in the contract that allows any party to renew it and that has been the bone of contention in previous councils prior to us. From what I understand since 2007 there has not been any increase in any prices from the contractor and since 2007 to now 2018, 11 years later, the city has expanded exponentially, but there has not been any increase or decrease in the value of the contract. The renewal is for 10 years."
Reporter
"So now you are binding in multiple successive councils you have criticized. 10 years us 3 terms."
Oscar Arnold, Deputy Mayor
"10 years is 3 terms and this contract has been in existence for almost 20 years prior to that."
Reporter
"And it was terrible idea."
Oscar Arnold, Deputy Mayor
"And it was a terrible idea, but it's something that we have right now Jules. So again, I understand what the residents and some people in Belize may be saying, but this is a council, this is a contract that we inherited and we are trying to make sure that we make the best of what can happen here."
Arnold says they maintain a lively exchange with Waste Control.
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