With the high cost in fuel, government departments have been taking hits with their budgets and the Belize City council is no different. Despite implementing the use of Electric vehicles, they have still felt the pinch. The deputy says that they have had to be more cognizant in these trying times:
Eluide Miller, Deputy Mayor of Belize City
"Yeah, it's a challenge for everyone. And believe it or not, we don't get any tax breaks of any sort. We pay the full price for fuel, despite being a statutory local authority. But it's all about becoming extremely, about being more disciplined, right? And tempering expenses where possible. And our team really supports us in that effort. And I'm very much happy about that. In fact, one of the things I shared in an earlier interview this week is that the council saw a surplus last year. And that really speaks to our level of discipline and the support that we have had from both our membership in terms of the council and the wider staff in understanding that we have to tamper our expenses. We have a lot of important work to do, as you know, Marisol, but we must remain cognizant of that at all times."
"How has the electric vehicles made a difference, especially what they run around in the city for the council? Yeah, as you know, we now have a fleet of about 15 new vehicles. When this administration took over the Belize City Council in 2018, we had about two vehicles. The traffic department had two vehicles. We have a new fleet of about 15 vehicles that we acquired about a year or so ago. And that fleet is a mix of diesel vehicles as well as electric vehicles. And of course, it was us trying to do our part to reduce the level of CO2 gases and the fight against our part in support of the fight against climate change. But it has certainly benefited us during this time where we're seeing the heightened fuel prices."
