Workers of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council will be benefitting from a 10% salary increase, 5% which will be retroactive from last year and the remaining 5% will be paid from this year.
This was announced by Mayor Ubraj Narine during a news conference today. He noted that 5% would be retroactive from January 2021 while the other 5% would be paid from January 2022.
More than 600 workers stand to benefit. They would have last received an increase in their wages and salaries in 2018.
The Mayor noted that granting this increase to workers is a significant achievement since the City Council is financially constrained.
He explained that the Council’s budget is some $2.6B but much more is needed for City Hall to effectively conduct its operations.
According to Mayor Narine, the revenues for the increase in wages and salaries will come from the rates and taxes collected during this period of amnesty granted to taxpayers.
“The increase of revenue due to the amnesty that we called, I believe is from December to March month-end. Currently we have lots of applications and a lot of people coming forward to pay their taxes. Default taxpayers, who owe the City Council millions of dollars… I believe the staff of the Mayor and City Council as well need to get some kind of increase and that is what the Finance Committee came up with, which was approved by full Council but it is normal revenue. We’re trying our best to give them something,” Mayor Narine explained.
When asked if the rates and taxes would be increased later this year or next year to sustain the payment of those salary increases the Mayor did not divulge any information. Rather, he said such increases would be decided by Council.
“This money already secured and which I believe, I spoke with the Town Clerk and the Treasurer acting this morning, that payment of these monies ought to be paid before the 15th of this month,” he said.
