New mayor says Fonseca must pay up
With city residents still in shock at the news that former Belize City Mayor David Fonseca touched the council’s treasury for a quarter million dollars in salary advances, loans, and bad cheques that somehow got cashed, the new council is desperately trying to convince residents to settle their own balances with the city tax collector. According to Mayor Zenaida Moya, the council has already gone into overdraft to pay its more than three hundred employees. And while some observers might accuse the mayor of pursuing a political witch hunt, Moya says her investigations simply reflect the financial reality at City Hall.
Zenaida Moya, Belize City Mayor
?For us, this isn?t political. For us this is the?the council is cash-strapped and the residents of Belize City need to know where their tax dollars were going.?
?The council does need those funds to run operations and to continue offering services to the residents. Two, we are also looking at wanton wastage that was occurring and ensuring that those are halted. Already certain cost cutting measures have been implemented and we will continue to do so in terms of ensuring that we can actually maintain operations for the council and for the residents of Belize City. We are also working, and I have already met with two separate banks to try to negotiate on loans, loan interest rates, and to negotiate more favourable terms for the council. I must say that those have been fruitful and all those measures should be saving the council in terms of certain expenditures, it should be saving the council and in terms of the property taxes, it should be bringing in further revenues. We are also, and I?ve already been meeting with particular investors to ensure that more funds can come into the city to offer residents more jobs so that 5671they will be in a position to increase our tax base.?
Former Mayor Fonseca has not committed to paying back all the money he “borrowed,” although he has made some vague noises about “working something out.” Fonseca, who claims to be broke, is currently employed as the secretary general of the People’s United Party.
