Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writer
Mordant Mitchell, the People's National Party (PNP) councillor for the Black River division, has recommended to the St. Elizabeth Parish Council that, as a means of taking education seriously, the agency should seek to have monthly reports from the education officers in the parish submitted to the council.
The report, he suggested, should contain information on how the students in basic and primary schools were performing.
Councillor Mitchell made this recommendation at the monthly general meeting of the council in Black River on Thursday, March 13.
"I think as a means of showing that we (the council) are interested in education and the development of our students, that we make it mandatory for the education officers to submit a monthly report to this council so we can be made aware of the students' performance," Mitchell said.
A former educator himself, Mayor of Black River, Jeremy Palmer, said he endorsed the recommendation adding that he had no objections in seeking the cooperation of the education officers who serve the parish at present. He said that education was too important for it to be left hanging without widespread support from all sectors.
Palmer also used the occasion to congratulate Councillor Mitchell on his appointment as principal of the Russell All-Age School in South Eastern St Elizabeth.
Councillor Mitchell said it was important for a lot more interest to be placed on developing the country's human resources by having an educated workforce.
Just before Councillor Mitchell made his recommendation, the council waived the building fee on an application for the construction of a basic school in the Lacovia division in the parish.
Alleged fraud at St Mary Parish Council
Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer
The Fraud Squad has been called in to investigate a case of alleged fraud at the St Mary Parish Council.
It is understood that auditors were called in after initial checks could not account for the payout of more than $1.2 million.
Port Maria Mayor, Richard Creary, says it appears the suspected fraud took place over a two-year period.
Health issues dominate meeting
Public health concerns dominated discussions at last Thursday's sitting of the monthly meeting of the St Mary Parish Council.
Speaking at the council meeting, Richard Creary, mayor of Port Maria, expressed concern at the pile- up of garbage close to the Horace Clarke Bus Terminus. The mayor said that it was unfair to be using public funds to have drains in the area cleaned when the terminus was being operated as a privately owned entity. He called on the chief public health inspector for the parish, Anthony Robins, to serve a notice on the management of the terminus.
Councillor for the Port Maria division, Fitz-Maurice Gray, also called on the public health inspector to look into what he described as unsanitary practices being carried out by restaurants in the town. He called for notice to be served on those who have been found in breach of regulations.
Robins also informed the council that the Dutch construction company, Pihl, has been installing storm water drainage on land that stretches from White River to Dover. He said these earthen drains have no outlets and, as a consequence, allow for water to be collected and facilitate the breeding of mosquitoes. He said the public health department was now making a list of all such water collections with a view to having the company making appropriate corrections. Robins said that if quick action is not taken, this would put a strain on resources resulting in a huge mosquito infestation in the parish.
He said Pihl was currently removing old asbestos water mains in the Annotto Bay area as part of its road improvement project.
Uproar over cut in mayor's funds
Arthur Green, Gleaner Writer
St Thomas:
Last Thursday's monthly council meeting of the St Thomas Parish Council almost ended in disarray when Mayor Harold Brown told the assembly that he was unhappy with the manner in which a decision to cut his mayoral allocation of discretionary funds had been communicated to him.
This, he said, was the doing of persons trying to weaken his ability to execute his responsibilities as councillor in his division. The mayor told the March meeting of council that he was advised by the secretary manager that he had been limited to one and half per cent of the prescribed budgetary allocation, a position which he said he found "very offensive".
However, secretary manager Clinton Gordon challenged the chairman's assertion that he had any input in that decision and challenged the mayor to ascertain who among the councillors had taken that decision.
