$2.24 million dollars a year, that's how much the City Council says it will save on sanitation contracts it has renegotiated with BML and SEL. After a lengthy process of negotiation that started in early August, those contracts were signed today. Despite the fanfare and public protests that have accompanied the contract and cash crises, today's event was low key. Rupert Marin signed on behalf of SEL while Lawrence Ellis signed on behalf of BML. When the ink dried, not everyone was smiling but all were satisfied that the protracted process is finally over.
Rupert Marin, S.E.L.
"Now that we have something formally, a new contract in place, I think
we could manage to get some sleep now because we know what we will be getting and we will need to budget to what we are supposed receive."
Lawrence Ellis, B.M.L.
"Very pleased that we are finally getting over this hurdle. Now we can get back to doing our business. It is very difficult working when you are uncertain what is happening tomorrow. The employees are not working contentedly, I am not working contentedly-no one is contented with the situation but at least for now we can get back to work."
Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
"Total savings to the council will be $2.432,300. This is very significant to the City Council. It represents more. It represents one million more than what we are currently getting in subvention on an annual basis so clearly it definitely will give us breathing room.
We agreed on a scope of service that would ensure that the city is clean. If one would look at the former contracts, one would see that a number, for
example the number of times that certain work were to be done, were not necessary and they were not being done. There were certain discrepancies that from the onset gave us some leeway to eventually eliminate out of the contract."
Rupert Marin,
"There was a reduction in the numbers as it relates to payment and so did the scope of service come down too. I would look at about 45% to 55% of those scope came down for the same contract value as it relates, we balanced the value for the money as it related to the scope. And the reduction of the service, we cannot afford to maintain that many people because the amount of work is not going to be there anymore.
We will be reducing staff to match the amount of work we have to do. We have been reducing the staff. Who goes is not replaced but it is not like a lot has gone but we need to continue reducing maybe over the next two or three weeks we will be phasing out a lot of the services that we offered now that are not required under this scope of service."
Lawrence Ellis,
"We have already reduced our staff so we are down to eighty people now
and that is the amount we are going to be using to get this new contract serviced."
Alfonso Noble,
We understand from the contractors that they are going to be bagging the garbage and they are going to be leaving it on the street side. Who is going to be picking up that slack that they used to do before?
Zenaida Moya,
"Let me state that it was never the job of the SEL or BML to be picking up bagged garbage. They did use to do so but they were not being paid to do so. It was not their job. That job falls specifically under the Belize Waste Control contract. They are the only ones that are supposed to be picking up bagged garbage. So we have already spoken with the Belize Waste Control, the owner, and we've told him that they need to ensure that they pickup these garbage after both companies."
Alfonso Noble,
There are interminable complaints about Waste Control, in fact that they don't do their job properly when they pick up garbage sometimes the back breaks and the dirt is scattered on the street and they do no follow-up cleaning. Will all of this be addressed any at all?
Zenaida Moya,
"I will tell you that we have had initial discussions with the Belize Waste Control company and that is one of the concerns that were brought up. But we have to sit down further with them and really they will really have to come to the table in an open manner and with the residents of Belize City, their needs, you know on the table as well to understand that residents don't want to hear that their garbage bag burst, some garbage has fallen out, and that Belize Waste Control won't pick up those garbage because again it looks bad, it smells bad, and people will get very upset so I believe the onus will be on Belize Waste Control to ensure that we come with an amicable solution as it pertains to that."
Interestingly enough the Belize Waste Control was never included in the renegotiation process because, as Mayor Moya told us, the matter is before the courts on arbitration proceedings.
