And that shift in trade license regimes is part of the reason the city council hasn't been able to pay Belize Waste control on a timely basis.
The fact is the trade license assessments were delayed and so collections have also been delayed - so the council isn't as flush with cash as it once was.
Waste Control is currently only doing half their usual routes so some residents are still battling with overflowing trash bins.
The company has also threatened to sue for the arrears which are over eight hundred thousand dollars.
Pollard said that CitCo is in discussions with Waste Control and he doesn't believe the issue will end up in court.
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"My garbage was picked up this week, so as far as I'm concerned, I see the Waste Control vehicles out, my garbage was picked up. I know some people were saying there's weren't picked up this week and last week, but mine was picked up, my neighbors, my constituency, so I can't give an update as to what's happening, I know that there are several talks between Waste Control, the City Council and these things happen. The way the resources of the council works, we have high season, low season. Sometimes, like Jules said, $65,000 is no easy money to find on a weekly basis and of course having to pay that obligation and trying to do these development works it takes a lot, especially having to pay our staff so it's a thing to prioritize some of the projects we have going on and of course prioritize the operations of the council so I don't think it's a strange thing, I think this happened before where, simple, just talks, I don't think it has to be where anybody has to go to court or anything like that just understanding the position of the council and understanding the obligations of the contractor as well and I think these things can be talked out and worked out easily."
Courtney Menzies:
"Are you expecting Central Government to step in and assist financially?"
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"Actually I would love that but we don't know how these things go. I think it's in everybody's best interest to have the residents' garbage picked up weekly and on time and of course the last thing we want to do is owe anybody and have any contractor feeling as though they're not going to get paid and I think that's not the city's intention any at all but I'm sure the mayor is working on it, I know the finance team are doing everything they could to pull resources from everywhere to make sure we meet these obligations so I don't think, I personally don't see this going on for too long, I'm thinking there is going to be an early resolution of this., whether Central Government steps in or not, I think it's going to be resolved very quickly."
We'll keep following the story.
