Do more in 2026, Port Maria mayor urges municipal workers
PORT MARIA, St Mary — Determined to ensure timely delivery of services to the people of St Mary as of 2026, Port Maria Mayor Fitzroy Wilson has announced plans to crack down on delays while enforcing strict accountability on department heads in the St Mary Municipal Corporation.
In thanking staff for their work in 2025, Wilson lauded employees who performed well and put everyone on notice that more will be required from them this year.
“We had some members of staff who would have gone above and beyond; some members of staff who are lacking; and others who might just be there. We are asking that, especially in this turbulent time [when] we have had so many adverse situations affecting our parish, it is time for us to put people above self and see how best we can have St Mary viewed in a positive way,” Wilson urged.
One of the areas of focus will be the policing of building standards in what has been described as one of the country’s fastest developing parishes.
“The way forward is to ensure all necessary agencies and documents are in place before buildings are permitted,” Wilson said, citing the devastation Hurricane Melissa caused in some parishes last October.
He also highlighted revenue collection as a key challenge, pointing to inadequate enforcement by departments as a major issue. The mayor sought to show the correlation between underperformance on the job and declining revenue earned by the local authority.
“Areas like building plans, subdivisions and advertisements are waning in revenues. Without this enforcement of revenues in all departments, the municipal corporation will not be able to pay its bills,” Wilson warned.
“It is not based on those persons who don’t pay that is causing the issue, but because of our in-house staff who are not doing what they are supposed to do to collect these funds. If we do not improve on these things, we will run the risk of some of you coming to meetings without any travelling. This is a serious situation. I urge us all to take off the blinkers and go out there and represent the people that we are supposed to represent,” he urged.
