A meeting of the Commercial Services Committee of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) adjourned prematurely Friday, when People’s National Party (PNP) councillors became angry and boisterous because the report on investigations into the award of wrecking contracts was not presented to the meeting.

Chairman of the Commercial Services Committee, councillor Robert Williams, pointed out that the wrecking contracts report was not on the agenda. Williams said that he decided to adjourn the meeting because of the disruptive behaviour of the PNP councillors.

In March Kingston Mayor Desmond McKenzie suspended the towing of illegally parked vehicles by wreckers contracted to the KSAC after the public raised concerns about the activities of some of the crew and the police.

He also launched an internal investigation into the wrecker services to determine if there had been collusion to the detriment of both the public and the KSAC.

At the same time, the mayor also announced that the KSAC would bar the police from using its car pound at Barry Street to store towed vehicles. He said that the decision was taken as a result of complaints about the questionable activities of police involved in the process.

The KSAC resumed the towing of illegally parked vehicles two weeks ago, but during the time that the car pound was closed tenders were advertised for a new set of wrecker owners and crews to apply for contracts with the KSAC.

When the Commercial Services Committee meeting was about to discuss three reports under the Matters Arising item on the agenda Friday, PNP councillors Angella Brown-Burke (Norman Gardens division) and Andrew Swaby (Vineyard Town division) asked why the wrecking contracts report was not presented to the meeting.

Brown-Burke and Swaby insisted that Mayor Desmond McKenzie at the previous council meeting had promised that the report on the wrecking contracts would be sent to the Commercial Services Committee for discussion Friday.

But JLP councillor Audley Gordon, while acknowledging that the mayor had given an undertaking that the report would be presented to the Commercial Services Committee, pointed out that he never said that the report would be presented in time for Friday’s meeting.

“The reputation of the KSAC is on the line. It’s scandalous. I have asked for the report at the Finance Committee meeting. I have asked for the report at the Procurement Committee meeting . Councillor Taylor asked for the report at last month’s council meeting and it is still not forthcoming. We suspect that that there is no report,” Brown-Burke said.

During the shouting match Williams sent the commercial services manager Gary Robotham to the mayor’s office for the report, but McKenzie was not in office.

When the PNP councillors continued to insist that the report be presented, Williams adjourned the meeting.

On Tuesday McKenzie told the council that the investigations into the towing operations and the recommendations did not point to “any corruption in the towing exercise”.

He said that it had been recommended that the council resume its relations with the police and accept vehicles at the car pound that have been seized by the police.