A mini plaza set up in Southborough, a residential area in Portmore. This business represents some of the illegal operations that the Portmore municipality have been clamping down on. - photos by norman grindley/deputy chief photographer

Edmond Campbell, News Coordinator

MAYOR OF Portmore, George Lee, says several projects in the sprawling municipality are yet to get off the ground because of inadequate capital funding from Government.

He told The Gleaner in a recent interview that the municipality's request for capital funding has fallen on deaf ears for the past few years. "Every year we have put in our request for funding and we have gotten zero," he said.

"Right now, we are starving for money to build our municipality park, and look about our taxi stand," Mayor Lee said.

Declaring that he was upset, the mayor revealed that the $38 million pledged by the Government remained a mere promise more than three years after the commitment was made.

"We haven't gotten a penny. All that we have done has come from our monthly operating budget to buy vehicles, to buy desks and chairs and everything," the mayor insisted.

Taxes need boost

Pointing to a source of funding that needs a major boost, Mayor Lee said that if a greater percentage of homeowners in Portmore paid property taxes, it would hike the revenue intake.

Explaining further, he said there was need for the current 30 per cent compliance rate to increase significantly in order to swell the municipality's coffers.

Portmore, with a population of more than 300,000 people, has one of the lowest compliance rates in property taxes, according to Mayor Lee.

However, he said after repeated requests the Government has approved the establishment of a revenue centre at Portmore Pines Plaza.

"I think with a tax office here and a public education programme, we could increase it (compliance) to 50 per cent, which would be a significant improvement in terms of revenue," he said.

edmondcampbell@gleanerjm.com