7 News Belize

But, A New Hilux?
posted (November 13, 2012)
In our last segment you heard both sides of the dispute about the city's garbage - but there's more.

They're what you might call sidebar issues: features of the current dispute that aren't a part of the central conflict but they do help to shape the overall disagreement.

The first is about the Mayor's new ride a Toyota Hilux. Now, on this newscast we are loathe to discuss which public official is driving which car - because any leader or senior official should be entitled to a decent vehicle reflective of the status denoted by his or her high office.

But at a time when the city can't pay to pick up garbage - the acquisition of a 2013 Hilux does seem to merit fair comment. We asked the mayor about it today:..

Jules Vasquez
"Is it true that in the middle of all these financial throws the city has purchase a new Toyota Hilux?"

Mayor Darrell Bradley
"First of all I don't say that there is any financial throws in the city. Those are your words. In terms of the matter of the vehicle the City Council did purchase a vehicle - its right downstairs, it was purchase from Belize Diesel."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, a new Hilux is like $92,000."

Mayor Darrell Bradley
"No it was $60,000."

Jules Vasquez
"Ok, $60,000, is that for you - I am saying how are you prioritizing it?"

Mayor Darrell Bradley
"We are prioritizing on infrastructure."

Jules Vasquez
"Is the Hilux for you?"

Mayor Darrell Bradley
"The Hilux is for the office of the Mayor and I am driving it yes."

Another sidebar issue is for the folks at Belize Waste Control. The mayor has freely said that the city's sanitation bill of 135 thousand dollars a week to Waste control and Belize Maintenance Limited - is the city's single greatest financial burden. In fact, it's fair to say that if the City didn't have these two encumbrances, it wouldn't need to float a municipal bond! But it does have them, they're contractually agreed to - and there's no easy way to get out of them.

One item the city has been looking at is the fact that Waste Control collected for picking up garbage from over twenty thousand homes in the city. But BWSL only has 13 thousand homes on its register. So is Waste Control over-collecting? That's what we asked today:..

Jules Vasquez
"You know that the City Council has made a review of the number of households in the city. You all are claiming 22,000 households, BWSL has 13,000 households, the census shows 14,000 households, the goal of property tax has 13,000 households and an independent valuation did 11,000 households. You all are being grossly overpaid."

Anthony Griffith, Owner - Belize Waste Control
"They should review the contract - the contract didn't say house, it's says runs."

George Lamb, GM, Belize Waste Control
"We look at dwelling units versus individual houses. In certain areas you might have 6-7 dwelling units."

Jules Vasquez
"But would the descrepancy be as much as 8 - 9 thousands?"

George Lamb
"I could be more because in Belize customary you would find a lot of families which stay in the same house and they would cordon off a room and they would occupy that room as a independent dwelling unit."

The city Council holds that the discrepancy of about seven thousand is still too great. In the 2010 Census, only 66% of Belize District residents had their garbage picked up by a municipal authority. 90% of homes in the Belize District had public water piped into their dwelling.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize