EDITORIAL - Funding city Kingston

It wouldn't take long for a visitor to the nation's capital to surmise that the shambolic state of the infrastructure suggests a municipality that is bankrupt - of money and ideas.

Now that the new mayor, Lee Clarke, has confirmed that the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is broke, the question looms: What are we going to do about it?

The KSAC is responsible for maintaining some 2,000 roads, drains, and gullies in the Corporate Area, as well as providing services such as public health, traffic and street lights, town planning, parks and cemeteries, markets and abattoirs.

Is the KSAC doing all it can to collect various user fees? The Corporation depends on central Government for nearly 90 per cent of its budget, an amount which has been ruled grossly inadequate. Parish councils have long urged reforms and clamoured for greater autonomy.

Discussions on local government reform have been going on for several years, amid heavy scepticism that the councils do not have the financial or technical savvy to manage at a very high level. It is hoped that the new minister of local government will set a timetable for these discussions to be brought to a head.

A little over a month ago, the newly installed mayor promised to "hit the ground running". So it was a little surprising to hear that the mayor was, in fact, stuck at the starting gates, unable to surge because there are no funds.

The mayor may not agree with our suggestion that the KSAC is bankrupt of ideas since he spouted a few thoughts during his inaugural address last month. For example, he reported that he is in discussions with overseas interests about investing in local industry.

not a safe, welcoming city

It would be great if that were achieved, but we want to urge the mayor to temper his hopes. Kingston is not a safe, welcoming city. Not many investors will want to put their money into a city where filth and garbage abound, where extortionists and marauding criminals prepare to pounce on their next prey.

Doing business in the city and its environs is twice more expensive since many employers now have to transport their workers to and from the job, and security accounts for a big chunk of their budgets.

The announcement that telecom Digicel was erecting a multimillion-dollar head office in downtown Kingston was hailed as the start of a hopeful trek from pricey uptown locations, but so far, that has not materialised. Fact is, there is much more work that needs to be done in transforming Kingston into an attractive city.

Mayor Clarke has revived a proposal to establish a city lottery. Although not a new idea, it is the most significant funding option presented by the KSAC, as Mr Clarke says it will provide thousands of jobs and much-needed revenue. The proposal appears to have the potential to impact all aspects of the KSAC's operations and services and ought to be seriously considered.

The mayor also referred to the treatment of the city's poor and indigent and plans for a facility to house them. But there are scores of abandoned government buildings in Kingston which appear to be in good condition. Why not convert one of these into a homeless shelter instead of waiting for an allocation from central Government?

We believe Mr Clarke's heart is in the right place. We hope he can set in motion new initiatives that will make Kingston a functioning city. The 700,000 inhabitants of Greater Kingston are demanding it.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.