The Belize City Council will soon be announcing the winners for their beautification competition. The competition fielded entries from people who improved their homes in the design areas: tropical, colonial and modern architecture. As part of the prize, two winners will receive brand new refrigerators. Luke Espat's Port of Belize Limited is sponsoring two of those prizes plus one more refrigerator for City Hall. All three were handed over to Mayor Zenaida Moya today. It's a significant gesture considering that the Port of Belize is a sore point for the Belize City Council. Sore because the council would wish to apply a special tax to heavy-goods vehicles bound for the port that stress out the city's streets on their way there. Mayor Moya today told us that while it's not exactly a user tax, a refrigerator is still something.
Reynaldo Guerrero, Port of Belize
"The City Council they asked for our contribution and since they were doing this competition, it was thought fitting that this would be one of the ways in which the Port could participate, by contributing three refrigerators. It allowed for the City Council to carry out the competition, it allowed us to contribute to the citizens of Belize City."
Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
"These are substantial prizes for residents and all they had to do was fix up their homes."
Alfonso Noble,
This is far flung from what you have been asking from Port. Is this something like an olive leaf from the Port with regards the City Council and the activities that are taking place within the City Council?
Zenaida Moya,
"Well Alfonso this donation I believe has nothing to do with the fact that the Belize City Council is already in the process of ensuring that the residents of Belize City receive some thing from the Port of Belize. We understand fully that when it comes to the Port of Belize, being in a position, they are an industrial site that we should be able to be collecting something for the residents of Belize City."
Alfonso Noble,
I am sure you are aware that the City Council doesn't just want refrigerators from the Port of Belize Limited. In fact they want more because they say your heavy equipment puts a toll on the infrastructure of Belize City and by right you should be contributing to the Belize City Council for upkeep and maintenance of the city itself. Is this an area that the Port of Belize is at all considering?
Reynaldo Guerrero,
"Our heavy equipment does not contribute to out there because our heavy equipment does not work outside of the Port's compound. It is privately owned equipment which pays licenses which pay whatever is required. All the trucks that come into the Port are private. All the equipment that comes in, all those trucks that you see out there are private. They pay their license to drive within the city. But our equipment itself, is only limited within the Port. But I understand where you are going and that is something that maybe could be worked out and whether or not there is some additional fees that they charge the truckers, some additional fees because the containers are heavy. But you have to realize that every additional cost that you put on, somebody has to bear the cost. We are always open for discussion. At the end it is a bottom line issue and then whatever additional cost that comes up is something we have to address. But yes, we do hope to have a good working relationship with the City Council. Yes we would want to have that."
As it is any vehicle that makes its way into Belize City with a their weight in excess of 10,000 pounds cannot be licensed by the City Council. These have to be licensed by the National Transport Board.
