MoBay mayor wants update from auditor general on street light restoration
Published:Tuesday | March 17, 2026 | 12:09 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon wants the Auditor General’s Department to provide an update on the post-Hurricane Melissa arrangement between the Government and the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to restore electricity, citing concerns about the lack of working street lights in several sections of St James.
Vernon was responding to concerns raised by councillors during last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC), where the matter of restoring street lights came up as both an issue of general inconvenience as well as a security concern.
“We commend the JPS on the arduous task they have undertaken since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, but even to this point in time, it is still at a point where much more needs to be done, [and] citizens are frustrated and concerned for their safety,” said Vernon. “We have a proactive AuGD who should probably provide a report and tell us what is happening with this part of the arrangement between the JPS and the Government, where the provision of street lights is concerned, what percentage of the street lights are working, and if we should pay the bill.”
Vernon was referencing the US$150-million (J$24-billion) loan agreement which was signed between the Government and the JPS last December, to fast-track the restoration of electricity across Jamaica following the hurricane’s landfall last October. On February 11, it was reported that 673,000 out of 690,000 JPS customers have had their service restored, with another 7,000 to be restored by the end of February, and the remainder between March and April.
“We really need some level of accountability where this is concerned, because we are paying, whether or not the lights work. This issue is very close to the people, because it concerns their safety,” said Vernon. “It is definitely a good time to get a report from the AuGD about the service being provided by JPS, and the payment being made by the local authorities for the service being provided across the municipality.”
Vernon’s comments followed a claim by Senator Charles Sinclair, the councillor for the StJMC’s Montego Bay North East Division, that the lack of working street lights in his division is affecting the productivity of residents and business operators.
“We are now into March, and there are many street lights that are not working, coming out of Hurricane Melissa, and there are some street lights that have been displaced, meaning the wind would have taken them away or they got infrastructural damage,” said Sinclair. “The lack of street lights is impairing people’s productivity. Because, I went to a particular location in Montego Bay, and the persons there complained to me that they have to close at 6:00, because where their business is located, none of the street lights are working.”
Martin Kellier, the councillor for the StJMC’s Welcome Hall Division, said some 100 street lights across his division have been out of service since the hurricane, creating a security issue for residents.
“My division is in total darkness, and the question I want to ask is, if we still have to pay JPS for all those lights that are out from all this time, what compensation we are getting back from them?” asked Kellier. “I have about 100 lights in my division which are out, and there are no lights on the poles. If we have 100 lights that are out for two to three months, why are we paying bills for those lights and we are not getting the service?”
On March 6, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie gave an assurance that the JPS would resume the installation and repair of street lights across Jamaica, after the programme’s disruption due to Hurricane Melissa. During his contribution to the 2025-2026 Sectoral Debate, he had announced that an additional 22,800 street lights would be installed across the country over the next two years, and that each of Jamaica’s 228 municipal divisions would receive 50 new street lights annually.