THE KINGSTON and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is to start overhauling its record management system within two months, Town Clerk Errol Greene promised yesterday.
Mr. Greene said eight weeks was the time it would take to recruit personnel for its registry, from which a number of case files have been disappearing for more than four years. He said that the KSAC was now negotiating with the Services Commission to recruit workers and interviews should be completed by July.
The lack of staff in the registry was one reason given at Wednesday's Building and Town Planning meeting for the frequent disappearance of files which, in one instance, held up an application by betting franchise, Track Price Plus. The betting company wants to put up a container on a portion of KSAC-owned land near the Cross Roads market in Kingston.
Missing files have also hampered follow-up action on an illegal operation at 1A Cunningham Avenue. It has also, reportedly, affected the progress of KSAC lawyer Rose Bennett's pursuit of an injuction against a gas station at Stanton Terrace, said to be built without the Corporation's permission.
The aim, Mr. Greene said, is to recruit additional personnel to develop and apply the necessary technology to enhance the delivery of services.
The KSAC's action has been spurred by Local Government Minister Arnold Bertram's intervention. Mr. Bertram had a meeting with Council officials yesterday, urging them to put in corrective measures speedily to prevent further loss of files.
The Minister was unavailable for comment, but a release from his Ministry said that he had called for greater urgency in solving KSAC problems.
There was no mention, however, of a response to reports that persons whose building applications had been turned down were paying money to have the files removed.
