City Council makes part payment in garbage crisis
You would have to be on another planet not to know that the cookie has crumbled fast between the Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya and the Councillors and that the mess at City Hall is not only political but financial. Last night the CITCO administration was pulled into the fray in the internal power play in the City Council when the Mayor pointed the finger at City Administrator Englebert Perrera for not signing the cheque that would have enabled Belize Waste Management Control to go back to garbage collection around the City and averted yesterday’s protest. Perrera did not take this lightly and today gave his take on the issue.
Marion Ali
“The mayor is claiming that all of this now is just for political mileage. Mark King and her opponent, Mr. Michael, they are campaigning vigorously. Are you working for them? Do you have anything against your mayor?”
Englebert Perrera, City Administrator
“No, I have nothing against my mayor. I just came to the media because yesterday my name got called from the mayor’s mouth that I am responsible for the protest pretty much and I just want to clear my name. I am not responsible. The real question that should be asked is how is the city Council in that financial position, how come they reached there.”
Marion Ali
“What’s the status right now? I know she went to Belmopan yesterday and came back with some funds. What is the status? Can Belize City afford to pay for sanitation work?”
Englebert Perrera
“What we are doing is we have low season right now. We have cut costs where we needed to cut costs. When I got in I cut a dump truck rental that the mayor was renting from her brother between twenty and twenty-five thousand a month. We are cutting costs and we are increasing revenue. And so with the subvention along with what Belmopan is helping us with, we should be working pretty much handling our operational expense but we need to increase the revenue, no doubt about that and that is what we’re working on.”
Marion Ali
“So your point here is that you did talk to the owner of the sanitation company.”
Englerbert Perrera
“Yes, that is what I am coming here for.”
Marion Ali
“You did make that call.”
Englebert Perrera
“Yes, to spoke earlier to Mr. Griffith and Mr. Griffith told me I am the only one he is able to contact with or speak with.”
Marion Ali
“But explain this to me. If you had made communication with Mr. Griffith and he had passed this information on to his employees and there was an understanding that as soon as the money was there that they would be paid, then would they still protest?”
Englebert Perrera
“Because Mr. Griffith, according to him, didn’t get paid for three weeks and he cant continue and that is the reason why they protested yesterday. That is the reason why they protest, they didn’t collect their money.”
Marion Ali
“How do you see it working out here after?”
Englebert Perrera
“We need more communication; no doubt about it and before he goes to protest he should call and open the communication line. Yes, sometimes we might find ourselves in a financial position but we need to communicate more with him and he needs to communicate more with us.”
Marion Ali
“What about financially?”
Englebert Perrera
“With the Belize City Council? We are going day to day and like I said we have cut our expenses, this is the slow season and we need to increase revenue in order for us to cover our costs.”
The Mayor did make it back from Belmopan with cash in hand. This evening BWC confirmed that they received a payment to cover two weeks of arrears. They were promised the remainder by Friday. Management says all their work men were back on the job and that the backlog of garbage in the City should be cleaned up by Thursday evening.
