Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
SILVERA
THE OFFICE of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has convened a meeting with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and the Association of Local Government Authorities of Jamaica (ALGAJ) for this Friday in an attempt to end a long-standing feud over street lights.
For some time now, parish councils have complained that they are paying for malfunctioning street lights, while the JPS has bemoaned late payments.
Raymond Silvera, deputy director-general at the OUR, revealed on Monday that the agency has also invited representatives from the ministries of Local Government and Finance to sit in on the meeting, which is geared towards formulating a street light protocol.
Mr. Silvera explained that the protocol would be drafted by the light and power company but must be agreed to and signed off on by all the parish councils.
CONSENSUS
"There has always been something between the JPS and the parish councils (and the) OUR has decided to step in," Mr. Silvera told The Gleaner.
He added: "The meeting will be one of several, where we hope to arrive at a consensus on this issue and other related issues."
Mr. Silvera said the meeting would seek to resolve issues revolving around installation, maintenance and bill payments for street lights.
Milton Brown, president of ALGAJ, told The Gleaner his administration would be advocating for changes that would see parish councils saving millions of dollars annually. He explained that, at present, parish councils pay for a standard 12-hour
period for the lights in their municipalities.
He argued that ALGAJ's proposal would see the councils paying only for what they use and for lights that are functioning. "We are going to have some significant savings when we start paying for time used on the lights that are working," he said.
Winsome Callum, public relations manager at JPS, said discussions to establish the protocol have been ongoing for some time and that the scheduled meeting was geared towards quickening the course of action and, in so doing, improving the shaky relationship between the parish councils and the JPS.
