New leadership to request audit of alleged $88M overspend on salaries at the KSAMC

The new chairman of the Finance Committee of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has alleged that the former administration spent more than $80 million above the approved budget for salaries. 

Dennis Gordon, the People's National Party councillor for the Maxfield Park division who currently heads the KSAMC's Finance Committee, has indicated that he will be inviting the Auditor General's Department to conduct an audit into the operations of the previous Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration. 

“At our first meeting we asked for a forensic audit of not just the head count, but also the processes. There were a lot of breaches that occurred. One I can tell you off the cuff, $88 million was added to the payroll without any approval,” he said at a press conference following today's KSAMC council meeting. 

Gordon also accused the Delroy Williams-led administration of “mongrelising” the office of the city inspector. He did not detail the issues which led him to that conclusion.

With the agreement of Mayor Andrew Swaby, Gordon said a letter requesting the audit will be sent to the auditor general after the next meeting of the Finance Committee on April 25. 

“We're here not for witch hunt, we're here to clarify what is it his worship (Mayor Swaby) is going to preside over,” he said. 

“There are things that we must do, as we have said we will do, because as we have said it is the people's business and we are going to manage the affairs with transparency, credibility and accountability,” he added. 

PNP President Mark Golding had previously shared his support for the auditing of municipalities which were led by JLP mayors. 

“It is important that the new incoming councillors take stock of what they have inherited, what has or has not been done in those councils under the leadership of the previous dispensation. So I expect all of our councils where there has been a change, that there will be a review, a careful review, maybe even an audit of what has been going on before,” Golding told reporters during the swearing in ceremony for Mayor of Portmore Leon Thomas.

-Sashana Small 

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