Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore has announced that the Georgetown City Council will seek the Court’s intervention to recover hundreds of millions of dollars owed by government agencies and businesses, as the municipality also prepares legal challenges against the Government’s takeover of city streets and a municipal building.
Speaking at a press conference today, Mayor Mentore said notices have already been issued to entities that owe the Council, with court action the next step for those that have not complied. He added that the Council will also publicly name government entities, businesses and residents with significant outstanding tax obligations.
“Outside of the notices, we will also publish those names of government entities that owe us significant taxes and we will also publish those names of businesses and residents who also have significant outstanding taxes to us,” the Mayor said.
Mentore warned that the Government’s move to designate a number of city streets as public roads threatens to further strain the Council’s already challenged finances, as it would affect existing arrangements with agencies such as the Guyana Power and Light company.
“If the government ends up being successful in the issue of taking over our streets it will affect our financial portfolio and it will further affect our economic situation at the council because then we will have a situation where GPL would have to be paying us their rates and taxes and we would have to treat with the issue concerning the poles on the parapets,” he said.
On the matter of the takeover of the municipal building, the Mayor said court action has already been filed and the matter is awaiting a hearing date. He described the situation as urgent, noting that injunctive relief is being sought and that he has reached out to the Council’s attorney to expedite the process.
“This is a matter that is urgent, it is a trespass matter and a matter where the government is seeking to seize the assets of the Council,” Mentore said.
Court papers are also being prepared to challenge the Government’s takeover of city streets, with that filing expected shortly.
