Sav’s mayor says PRF must only be used for drain cleaning

WESTERN BUREAU:

Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Bertel Moore has warned the councillors at the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation against spending monies from the Parochial Revenue Fund (PRF) should be used only for drain cleaning.

“I had a discussion with my councillors, and I let them know that the allocation for May and June PRF is strictly for cleaning drains, nothing but drain,” Moore told The Gleaner. “I don’t want to know about no bushing. I want to hear about cleaning of drains because this is the only way we can stop some of the flooding.

“We must realise that the funds that we used to receive from the Parochial Revenue Fund is down considerable now, and the reason behind that is because the property taxes are not being paid. The property owners are not paying up like before. You have to understand, the Parochial Revenue Funds coming to the corporation will be less than in previous years,” added Moore.

Moore, who is also the chairman of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, said over the last five months ending May 31, only $57 million was collected in property taxes.

“Last year December to the end of May, we collected $117 million for property tax, and at the same period this year we collect $57-million, that’s less than half of the property tax that we collected the year before,” said Moore. “From December, we didn’t receive any special drain-cleaning funds, but as a council, we are trying our best to clean what we can. We get what we called the PRF every month and we try to use that to the best of our ability to clean the drains.”

The mayor also expressed unhappiness with the attitude of residents as it relates to poor disposal practices, noting that they should not throw garbage in the gullies and on the streets.

“Residents have a part to play. It is time that we understand that the more plastic bottles, food boxes you throw in the drains, it’s the more the drains are blocked up. It is time we understand that, especially some of the drivers and passengers,” said Moore.

“All you see are plastic bottles and juices boxes. It’s time, as Jamaicans, that we adopt some of the best practices from our international partners, their way of life, where if you are caught throwing an orange juice box on the street in Canada, for example, you are charged,” added Moore.