PORT MARIA, St Mary — The St Mary Municipal Corporation says the parish is receiving nowhere near the $600 million per month figure quoted by Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie for parochial road repairs, and is calling for full transparency on how funds are distributed.

Chairman of the corporation, Mayor of Port Maria Fitzroy Wilson said the comments by McKenzie have caused confusion and a false impression.

“The minister indicated that approximately $600 million is allocated each month for parochial road repairs. While that may refer to the total for all municipal corporations, many people now believe that each corporation gets hundreds of millions every month. That is not the reality in St Mary,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Speaking at the handover ceremony for grants under the Clean-Up and Restoration Initiative in St James in late June, McKenzie said all municipal authorities, whether controlled by the People’s National Party (PNP) or the Jamaica Labour Party, receive a share of between $600 million and $700 million each month from the Ministry of Finance. The minister said allocations were made based on the number of roads in each parish.

However, the mayor said St Mary receives an average of approximately $25 million per month from the Parochial Revenue Fund PRF; the full amount is never available for roads because of mandatory deductions.

“Before any roadwork can begin, 20 per cent goes to the special grant revenue (SGR) fund for special projects. [Another] 5.14 per cent is earmarked for PIDP (Parish Infrastructure Development Programme), Stabex (a European Union financial grant system) and rural roads to pay length-man, and 7.07 per cent is deducted for administrative expenses of the Roads and Works Department. These deductions are not optional and they significantly reduce what is left for routine maintenance,” Wilson explained.

He also pointing out that the remaining balance is equally divided among the 13 divisions to fund the maintenance of hundreds of kilometres of roads, clear blocked drains, repair retaining walls, and respond to emergencies.

The mayor said the funding shortfall was apparent after hurricanes Beryl and Melissa.

“Like our residents, the municipal corporation faced enormous challenges. Roads were blocked, drains compromised, landslides occurred and emergency works had to be done immediately,” he said.

“Despite the scale of the damage, we did not receive any special allocation from the central government. We had to draw from our SGR fund to respond. The only additional assistance was $250,000 for care packages. We appreciated it, but that was never meant to fix roads or infrastructure,” Wilson added.

WILSON… that is not the reality in St Mary.

The mayor also pushed back on suggestions that municipal corporations should simply raise more of their own revenue.

“The issue is not a lack of willingness. The issue is that the existing legislative and administrative framework limits our flexibility. Many fees require ministerial approval or legislative changes and collection is slowed by outdated processes,” Wilson stated.

He said councillors and technical staff are doing what they can with limited resources.

“Every day, we hear the concerns about deteriorating roads and blocked drains. Those concerns are legitimate and we share them. But no amount of prudent financial management can make inadequate funding meet unlimited demands,” he said.

Wilson added that he is now respectfully calling on the local government ministry to publish monthly allocations to each municipal corporation.

“Jamaicans deserve to see how these funds are distributed,” he said.

According to Wilson, the time has come for a comprehensive review of the funding formula, modernisation of the laws governing local government finance and greater flexibility for municipalities to strengthen their own source revenue.

“Local government is closest to the people. We are the first to respond when disaster strikes. If we are expected to continue fulfilling these responsibilities, then the financial support must reflect the realities on the ground,” Wilson concluded.

Opposition spokesperson on local government and participatory democracy Natalie Neita Garvey has scheduled a media briefing for 10:00 am today where she will be supprted by PNP local government representatives to address: “The growing financial challenges facing Jamaica’s municipal corporations, clarify recent public statements regarding local government funding, examine the impact of inadequate financing on road maintenance, disaster preparedness, and other essential services, and outline [the PNP’s] call for greater transparency, a fairer funding model, and increased investment in local government”.