By Rasbert Turner, Freelance WriterSPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
STATIONERY AND Supplies has won the bid to provide the Portmore Municipal office with furniture and other supplies, beating out seven other tenders.
This was announced at the monthly Municipal meeting at the Dermason Plaza in Independence City, which was well attended by councillors and some 20 members of the business community Wednesday.
But while Portmore Mayor, George Lee, will soon get his furniture, he still has no staff, whose hiring he suggested was being hampered by bureaucracy. He had promised at the last meeting that the office would have been opened with staff during the first week of October.
Mayor Lee was advised by administrator, Denise Salmon that the question of staffing is being addressed by the Ministry of Local Government through its Management Development division, a body set up to deal with the staffing of parish councils and municipalities.
"In fact we met with the Permanent Secretary, Tuesday, the 7th and they asked that we give 18 job descriptions, 14 of which were tendered today (October 8) and the others will follow on the 9th," said Ms. Salmon.
The councillors present, led by Deputy Mayor, Collin Fagan, said the staffing and infrastructure committee had expected to be informed of the developments prior to the meeting. It was also revealed by the Mayor that he was not aware of the procuring of tender for the municipality.
Mayor Lee also explained that the Municipality could not have done the tendering, since it is still without an accountant, whom the law stipulates must be in place in order to carry through functions of that nature.
