HANOVER, Jamaica — The Hanover Municipal Corporation says it will cost almost $1 billion to repair Hurricane Melissa-related damage within the parish. The massive bill comes at a time when the corporation was already struggling to meet its monthly obligations, including salaries that were increased three years ago.

According to Mayor Sheridan Samuels, support will be needed to source the estimated $814,844,975.65 needed. This is for repairs to infrastructure that falls under the corporation’s remit, along with property it manages and owns.

“This is practically what is required now to bring Hanover to a place where we would want it to be. It is going to be a challenge but, as you know, the level of our resilience will take us there,” the mayor said during Thursday’s regular monthly general meeting of the corporation.

He told Observer Online after the meeting that a request has been made to the Ministry of Local Government.

“We are awaiting a response from the ministry to see what they can do to assist us in this area,” stated Samuels.

The mayor also said funding agencies such as the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund and Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) are being considered; and international funding agencies have not been ruled out.

“We are looking internationally because we have to expand beyond our boundaries to see how best we can get this assistance,” Samuels said.

He explained that the major public sector salary reclassification system which officially became effective on April 1, 2022, is among recurring obligations that are currently placing a strain on the corporation’s finances.

“We have to be looking for ways and means in which we can even get some funding to keep us afloat — pay salaries, travelling, cover our overhead expenses and our utilities. We have to be fighting and looking at how best we can maximise on our own source [of funds] and assistance that we receive from the ministry which we are hoping that they will improve on the subventions that they are sending to us,” explained Samuels.

“Since the reclassification, we are struggling with the new salary increase because even though the agreement was that the reclassification would be put in place, we are not getting the entire funding from the ministry to match the increase in salaries…It has been really, really challenging,” he added.

The mayor said he is hoping the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service will look into the issue.

The Category 5 storm which slammed into sections of Jamaica on October 28 has made the corporation’s tenuous situation worse, impacting approximately 13 funding sources such as building fees, market fees, advertisement sign fees and burials.

“That’s where we are now. We are struggling with this huge bill to rehabilitate and come back to normalcy. The parish [is] really hurting,” the mayor bemoaned.