OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR ELSA PAZ

PUP Belize Rural South Executive Committee
PUP Office
Angel Coral Street
San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

November 10th, 2008

Mayor Elsa Paz
San Pedro Town Council
Barrier Reef Drive
San Pedro

Mayor Paz:
The Belize Rural South Executive Committee of the People’s United Party (PUP) is through this medium requesting that your office disclose all relevant financial reports to the media, interested parties and all residents of San Pedro.

The Committee has noted with grave concern that the only Audit Report conducted during the 6 years of your administration of this municipality’s funds has raised serious questions leading to allegations of misappropriation and mismanagement of public funds in San Pedro. It is absolutely outrageous that these allegations are compounded with the report that all 2001-2006 voucher records for the SPTC have already been disposed of. This we find borders dangerously on the interpretation that your administration is hiding major financial misappropriations from the hard working residents of this municipality. We urge you to prove otherwise by way of producing concrete evidence that this is not so as this report surely has raised more questions than answers.

As one of the largest revenue collecting municipalities in the country, official figures indicate that the San Pedro Town Council collects about 2.8 – 3 million dollars per annum. During the course of five years of collecting these revenues your Town Council has failed to present any quarterly or annual reports as you pledged to do in your Manifesto to the people.

Two months ago the Town Council announced that Transport Fees both from San Pedro and Caye Caulker approximating $200,000 per annum will now be used to expand the SPTC budget. This new development combined with additional fees you plan to impose on Taxi drivers and other entrepreneurs on the island raise major concerns in view of San Pedro Town Council’s lack of financial reporting and accountability.

The new Belize Rural South Executive Committee in its pledge to ensure zero tolerance for lack of accountability and transparency across the board makes an urgent call on you as Mayor of this municipality to release copies of the recent Audit Report in a manner that will allow for in-depth review and scrutiny on the part of all interested parties.

In view of the undeniable fact that the people of San Pedro have a right to be fully informed of the financial reports of this Town Council and, based on your need to make good on your promise to make these available, the PUP Belize Rural South Executive urges you to respond to this important request in a prompt and efficient manner.

Yours Sincerely,


Andre Perez, Chairperson
PUP Belize Rural South

Cc. Ambergris Today
San Pedro Sun
The Belize Times
Amandala
The Reporter
The San Pedro Business Association
Ambergris Chamber of Commerce