Simpson MillerTHE FUNDING of the Municipality of Portmore will come from already established sources, including property taxes, motor vehicle licences, user fees and charges such as trade licences, building fees and licence fees from places of amusement and billboard placement.
Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Portia Simpson Miller, made the disclosure as she opened the debate on the Municipalities Act, 2003 in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Bill's Memorandum of Objects and Reasons states that each Municipality will be a responsible and accountable government with respect to matters within its jurisdiction and has been given the powers and duties under the Act and certain other Acts for purposes including organisational structure, managing and preserving funds and resources, establishing a platform for development, fostering the environment for the advancement of sports and culture and working with the Parish Council, or Corporation, in which it has been established for the betterment and overall improvement of the residents.
The Bill seeks to make provision for the establishment of the Municipalities and for their governance.
Mrs. Simpson Miller said her Ministry has the full commitment of the Ministry of Finance for the funding of the Municipality of Portmore.
She said that if anyone should have any doubt as to the readiness of the people of Portmore, or the involvement of the people of Portmore to take up the challenge of this new direction, "I would like to present to you Mr. Speaker, the signatures of thousands of people of that community who were willing to put their names down thereby signifying their belief in and ownership of the new municipality."
"There can be no question, that the people of Portmore did excellent pre-paratory work and fully deserve the honour of being the pilot in achieving municipal status with the right to elect their own mayor. The people of Portmore are not being given anything that they have not agitated for. Nothing is being imposed on them by Government. This is a community of dynamic, intelligent and focused people who understand the issues involved and who have signified their intention to accept the challenges that they know will come with this awesome responsibility.
"In advancing their demands to manage their own affairs, these citizens have accepted that they will assume responsibility for meeting the costs of services, functions and operations of the municipality, from revenues some of which they will generate.
"Therefore, Mr. Speaker, the funding of the Municipality of Portmore will come from already established sources. These include: property taxes, motor vehicle licences, user fees and charges including: trade licences, building fees and licence fees from places of amusement and billboard placement."
She said that granting municipal status to Portmore would be consistent with Government's policy of affording citizens greater scope for participation in managing their own affairs through decentralisation and deepening the democratic process.
"As the process unfolds we will have the opportunity to study the new structure and the way it works in order to assist other local authorities on the path of transformation. The inspirational words of Garvey teach us that, 'We can only build with faith in ourselves, and with self-reliance, believing in our own possibilities, that we can rise to the highest in God's creation'," she said.
