Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer

CROOKS

LUCEA, Hanover:

The three People's National Party (PNP) councillors of the Hanover Parish Council yesterday denied taking part in a decision to reduce the Fiesta Hotel building fees by 25 per cent, during a press conference staged at the council building.

According to councillors Lloyd Hill, of the Sandy Bay division, Fredrocious Miller, of Green Island, and Sheridan Samuels, of the Cauldwell division, the decision to reduce the building fees was taken during a planning committee meeting of the council which they did not attend.

The councillors called the press conference in response to what they said were allegations made yesterday by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), that they had agreed to a 25 per cent discount to the Fiesta Hotel Group for the 1,600-room hotel under construction at Point Estate in Lucea.

They said the issue of the reduction in the building fees was never discussed or ratified at the regular monthly meeting of the council which all councillors were mandated to attend.

Not a regular monthly meeting

"They did not take it to the regular monthly meeting of the council, which is the supreme body, for us to ratify it there," Councillor Samuels said. "As a matter of fact, I did not get any opportunity to have any discussion on it! "

The minutes of the council's planning committee meeting indicate that the decision to set the rates at 25 per cent was taken on April 4 last year when Councillor Brown, Audley Gilpin, of the Lucea division, and Albert Chang, of the Chester Castle division, were the only councillors in attendance. Former Mayor of Lucea and Chairman of the Hanover Parish Council, Councillor Lester Crooks, was not in attendance.

The April minutes also indicate that Councillor Brown had insisted that it was $225 and not $250 per square metre that was agreed on at March's meeting and that the other two councillors had agreed. This resulted in the 25 per cent cut. However, the minutes of March 2006 state: "It was decided that a letter be sent back to the Fiesta Group stating that the council was not willing to go lower than the $250 per square metre agreed on."

The rate for building fees for resort developments at the Hanover Parish Council is supposed to be $300 per square metre.

Chairman of the Hanover Parish Development Committee (HPDC), Nerris Hawthorne, who is an ex-officio member of the the council's planning committee, was also present at the press conference. She said she was present at the March meeting and confirmed that the final rate decided on was $250.

"I was there after the decision was taken. I met with the secretary/manager and told him that, from the HPDC perspective, there is no way they should go below $250, because they would be setting a precedent which was dangerous," Ms. Hawthorne said. "I am surprised it was moved to $225."

All councillors agreed

When contacted, Councillor Brown, who is now chairman of the council, said all councillors, including those from the PNP, had agreed on the 25 per cent reduction in a special meeting convened to discuss the matter. He said he did not remember the exact dates.

On Monday Mr. Crooks, the councillor of the Riverside division, resigned as Mayor of Lucea and chairman of the Hanover Parish Council following the revelation of his building contract with the Fiesta Hotel Group.

Dean Peart, Minister of Local Government and Environment, had written to the former mayor stating that his involvement with the hotel posed a conflict of interest as the council was the local planning and building authority for the parish and his involvement with the Fiesta Hotel Group was "contrary to the principles of transparency and good governance which the council is expected to uphold."