Programme for local gov’t reform starts January
BOG WALK, St Catherine – The long-awaited programme for local government reform is set to begin in January, and parish councils will experience procedural changes to equip them with the necessary autonomy and drive to administer changes efficiently and effectively.
Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, Robert Montague, who has responsibility for local government, made the announcement in Bog Walk last Sunday at the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Area Council 2 monthly meeting. The meeting marked the launch of the JLP’s local government election campaign after 72 candidates from the area were selected to contest the December 5 election.
According to Montague, the reform will insist that councillors provide reports to community-based organisations in their political divisions.
“Never will a councillor come up on you by night, you vote for him, he disappears for three years and you see him again only when election comes around,” Montague said.
Additionally, they will be required to visit community groups, including neighbourhood watches, community councils, youth clubs, farmers’ meetings and church groups to ascertain what should be done in the communities.
A major aspect of the reform programme will be a clause to preclude “lazy” councillors from being absent from six consecutive general council meetings without excuse, and yet still collect a salary.
“We are going to remove from the law provisions that allow councillors to be absent from meetings for six months without explanation and still collect a salary. That don’t happen in no other part of the world and we going to end it now,” Montague said.
Other sections for reform include:
. Publishing the attendance record of councillors at meetings to give the public an appreciation of which councillor is falling down on his representation.
. Publishing the work programme submitted by councillor for a certain period to determine if work is distributed equitably.
. Dedicating a percentage of the national budget to parish councils.
. Increasing the compliance rate of property taxes from 40 per cent, as there is a shortfall of $1 billion for garbage and street light.
Montague explained that the JLP has undertaken to increase the compliance rate rather than the property tax rate to cover the difference.
The minister said as of January, property tax will go directly to parish councils which will have the responsibility of paying for their garbage collection, street lights and other bills now paid by central government.
“If your street lights not working and your garbage (is) not collected for a period, the parish council will deduct from the bill for the time that the companies never provide service and don’t pay them for what them never provide,” he said.
On another matter, Montague said government is embarking on a programme to issue 45,000 land titles through a Community Land Titling Project.
He said titles will be issued through a community-based tribunal, where people will make submissions for lands. To facilitate the project, the Quit Rent Act will be amended to stipulate that if someone occupies land and is paying the taxes over a prescribed period of time, that person can apply to the courts for Adverse Possession of those lands.
“It is my position that because the Ministry of Finance is paying the taxes for 60 per cent of people who have not been paying, government will be applying to the court for an order of Adverse Possession of those lands people occupy and won’t pay the taxes. Then we will sell the land because we do not want anymore land as a government,” Montague said, pointing out that such measures will be used to increase the compliance rate of property taxes so that bills to the parish councils relating to street lights and garbage collection will be paid.