Sources close to the office of the mayor of Portmore indicate that three of the corporation’s eight departments have made the move to the spanking new building in Braeton, St Catherine, which had been constructed from 2019, but has stood empty for the past two years. Since construction, the municipality has paid an estimated $40 million for rented space for operating units.

In October, the Jamaica Observer broke the news of the swanky building which remained unoccupied (up that time) while the Portmore Municipality continued to pay rent in a plaza nearby.

Following the disclosure, the Building, Planning and Enforcement divisions of the municipal council have made the move from Portmore Pines Plaza. The municipality will continue paying rentals estimated at one million dollars monthly until it has removed all of its belongings.

The departments which remain to be fully relocated, according to our source, are Enforcement, Audit, Accounts, Cooperatives, and Commerce. The source said it was likely that the move into the new building will climax after the new year.

The first council meeting was held at the property located at Lot 1 Cookson Pen Braeton on Wednesday, December 8. In reports made following, the mayor said works in the environs including parking and fencing remained to be completed.

Already completed and ready for occupation are the ground floor, first floor and attic. The plan also includes landscaping, adequate parking space and water harvesting. The project is the result of a $190-million contract issued in May 2017 for construction. Work began about a month later and was slated to be undertaken over 20 months, with scheduled completion in February 2019.

The new building is described as a 22,654-square-foot structure with a ground floor, first floor and attic floor, with energy-efficient features such as solar street lighting and LED lighting. The building remains enclosed in zinc fencing.

The Ministry of Local Government should have provided, post-completion, additional funds of between $15 million and $30 million for unspecified “necessary work” which might have included moving costs and furnishings.

The Business Observer reached out to Mayor Leon Thomas for comment, but he did not respond to messages or e-mails. He was said to be out of office. Queries were also sent to the Ministry of Local Government but no response was garnered.

Responsibilities of the Jamaican municipal councils include developing, managing and maintaining infrastructure and public facilities such as parochial roads, water supplies, drains and gullies, parks, recreational centres, markets, abattoirs, pounds, cemeteries, transportation centres, public sanitary conveniences and public beaches.

The Portmore Municipality also pursues local economic development which has seen the construction of Ackee Village (2017), hosting of economic development workshops, fairs, Ease of Doing Business (EODB) seminars and currently with focus on the promotion of Portmore as a community tourism destination. Municipal corporations in Jamaica are financed partially by property taxes in their locality.