LEE

BEGINNING NEXT month, small business operators in Portmore will get an opportunity to acquire lots from the municipality to establish their businesses ahead of a zero-tolerance policy targeting illegitimate enterprises.

Mayor of Portmore, George Lee, told The Gleaner in a recent interview that the establishment of the long-awaited Greater Portmore small business vending area was close to becoming a reality.

Vending at the Caymanas crossing, off Mandela Highway, will also be regularised, starting in June, according to Mayor Lee.

On the move

Plans are on the drawing board to create a facility in Waterford for persons operating small businesses in that community.

Notwithstanding these developments, the municipality is continuing itsdrive to shut down illegal businesses in the Sunshine City by issuing 20 to 30 notices each month.

Mayor Lee said, however, that his office is faced with a major challenge to monitor the dormitory community effectively, as the municipality has only seven municipal police personnel.

Last year, the municipality spent $3 million on legal fees to take non-compliant residents to court.

Financial constraints

According to Mayor Lee, while the municipality was committed to clamping down on illegal business operators, it was faced with financial constraints.

"It's costly and sometimes time-consuming going through the court system, but it's a process that we are committed to," he said.

Mayor Lee called for more stringent legislation to tackle the problem of illegal businesses in residential communities.

"Some of the laws are archaic. We need stronger enforcement laws to deal with people speedier," he stated.

But one business operator appealed to the authorities to exercise restraint, noting that his establishment provided the only source of income for his family.

George Brown, who operates a shop and bar, said many persons benefit from his business in the community.

"You don't have to go too far to go to the club or the bar or whatever the case may be," he noted.

While empathising with persons who claim they do not have a income, the mayor contended that people bought their homes in Portmore because "they want to live in peace".

"How (do) you balance the right of the residents who bought their houses because they want to live in peace ... now that is being shattered by night noise, challenged by the noise next door in a bar," said the mayor, pointing out that the municipality has a responsibility to preserve the rights of those residents.

- E.C.