LGRU Newsletter - Social Development Commission

MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Local Government Reform Unit (LGRU)
THE REFORMER
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM UNIT (LGRU)
The Local Government Reform Unit (LGRU) seeks to transform
local government in Jamaica by creating a new paradigm of local
governance, which confers a substantial degree of self-management
to localities/communities and facilitates real participation of civil
society in the governance process.
Ministry of Local Government &
Community Development
The LGRU’s Mission is to ensure achievement of the goals established in the Government’s Local Government Reform Policy
Framework. This includes initiatives to advance this policy as well
as coordinating the actions across the range of stakeholders to
facilitate the attainment of the Objectives of Local Government
Reform which are attached. The implementation process is managed through an Operational Plan and the process is monitored
through the Strategic, Policy & Planning Unit (Ministry of Local
Government & Community Development) and the Governance
Thematic Working Group (PIOJ).
85 Hagley Park Road,
Kingston 10
Jamaica, W.I.
Telephone:
(876) 754-0992-9
Fax:
(876) 754-1000
E-mail:
[email protected]
Issu e
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
1
Counting
 Creation of the Parochial Revenue
Fund (PRF) and earmarking of Property
Tax and two-thirds of motor vehicle
licence fees as dedicated sources for
financing local government services.
 Amending legislation allowing Councils
to set/amend fees and user charges
relating to services within their jurisdiction, resulting in substantial increase to
local government revenues.
 Development of a Jamaican Model for
Local Economic Development.
 Spearheading the establishment of the
Caribbean Forum of Local Government
Ministers (CFLGM).
 The creation of a Municipalities Act
which enables major urban centres to
petition for municipal status.
 Review of the Portmore Municipality
Experience and the creation of an
Action Plan.
 Tabling in Parliament legislation governing: 1) Finance, 2) Human Resource
Management . Presented to Legislative
Committee – Draft Legislation related
to Local Governance.
(Directors of Planning, Administration,
Finance, Budget & Revenue Officer,
Public & Community Relations Officer,
Information Management Specialist,
Commercial Manager).
Commissioning of an Organizational
Draft Legislation related to the Built
Environment.
Review for the Local Authorities and
subsequent discussions with the Cabinet
Management Development Division on
its recommendations.
 Passage of legislation entrenching local
Establishment of the National Advisory
government in the Constitution of Jamaica.
Council on Local Government Reform,
Tabling of Interim Report in Parliament
through a Joint Select Committee on
Local Government Reform and the
Completion of Final Report of the National Advisory Council on
Local Government Reform.
 Presented to Legislative Committee
 The establishment of parity between
local and Central Government staff and
benefits for Councillors including pay
package, pensions and eligibility for 20%
duty concessions.
 The creation of several senior technical/
managerial posts in Local Authorities
Establishment of the Par-
ish Development Committees.
01 —A u g u st
2 015
Twenty-Two Laws and Counting
Twenty-Two Laws &
Some Achievements of Local Government Reform
N o .
Editorial - Finance
2
Follows Function
Doubles
Where are We
3
5
Now?
Be on Your Ps & Qs
Local Treasure Spot
5
6
If you were a child in the eight-
(NAC) on Local Government
to the execution of the loan ar-
ies or an earlier bygone era, you
would probably remember the
famous television legal series, LA
Law. Cast in Los Angeles, United
States, the series illustrated the
witty and sensational exchanges
between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less
well-paid junior staff. In this column, we will not focus on such
dramatic portrayals. Rather, we
will explore the legal aspects of
the Local Government Reform
Programme, with special emphasis on the implications for the
local authorities.
Local Government in Jamaica
Reform recognised that “a com-
rangements between the IDB and
prehensive overhaul of the local
the Government of Jamaica for
government legal framework is a
funding under the Parish Infra-
critical component of the Local
structure
Government
gramme (PIDP).
Reform
Pro-
gramme.” (Department of Local
Development
Pro-
Changing all the outdated laws at
once was seen by various luminaries as too unwieldy a process.
Siphoning off the canons that
were viewed to have the greatest strategic importance to the
system was believed to be a
more prudent undertaking. It was
harks back to the 1600s. A sig-
felt that priority should be given
nificant number of the laws that
to the other laws incrementally
relate to this sub-national domain
over a period of time.
are of similar vintage. The chal-
wonder why the name “Strategic
lenge of operating the system in
Laws” was used to describe the
Little
this modern era with the bugbear
of antiquated edicts is undeniable.
There are over 90 laws on the
Some Achievements
8
books that address various as-
Government 2008, p.74).
of Local
Government
pects of local government in
The project to review the entire
Jamaica but many of them are not
legal framework for local govern-
Reform
practicably
while
ment in Jamaica was given some
others have just not been used
traction in 1995 with the estab-
for ages.
lishment of the Local Govern-
National
enforceable
Not surprising, the
Advisory
Committee
ment Reform Unit (LGRU) prior
Cont’d on Page 2
PAGE
2
PAGE
Editorial
Local Treasure Spot
Finance Follows Function
Local
Hon. Noel Arscott
Minister of Local Government
& Community Development
Hon. Colin Fagan, Minister of
State in the Ministry of Local
Government & Community
Development
Government practitioners
the world over will tell you that the
greatest problem they face in their
practice is the issue of unfunded
mandates. This is true except for a
few examples which include Brazil
and South Africa. It is unconstitutional in South Africa (postapartheid) to devolve functions to
local government without providing
the necessary resources and in
Brazil, as a part of their constitutional arrangements (post military
rule), the transfer of resources
from the Federal Government to
Municipalities and the functions to
be managed is highly evolved.
In Jamaica, the advent of the three
Strategic Laws including the Local
Government Financing and Financial
Management Bill and their impending debate in Parliament, is a major
step towards the financial reform
so badly needed in creating an adequate and independent financing
framework for local authorities.
Local Authorities should utilise the
opportunities presented in the recently produced working document
on Municipal Finance Reform by
examining the distortions identified
in property tax - their major source
of dedicated funding (compliance,
affordability, exemptions and land
registration) - and advocate for the
adjustments which will improve the
sustained value of this funding
source.
Local Authorities should also be
mindful of the accountability and
transparency framework being established under the new legislation,
and discern the strategic benefits
which can be gained from a perception that accountability and transparency are prioritized in the operations of local authorities.
creased diversification in municipal
funding and greater autonomy in
the financing of local authorities in
Jamaica is the current and pervasive
negative view of local government.
We should “take sleep and mark
death” if we are going to be the
authors of change in our local
government. Changing the image of
our local government should therefore be the most urgent undertaking of all local government practitioners.
Hon. Noel Arscott &
Mr. Denzil Thorpe, Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Local
Government & Community
Development
Far reaching but exciting changes
dress three (3) main areas in the
will occur once the Strategic Laws
are promulgated in the Houses of
Parliament and enforced thereafter. For example, the forthcoming
Collectively, they provide cover-
Local Government Financing and
age of approximately twenty two
Financial Management Act, if ap-
of the laws that currently form
proved by Parliament, will require
the legal framework for local
local authorities to submit by
authorities.
October 31 each year, balanced
um Term Corporate Plans, in
NEWSLETTER
to death. His tears fell into two salty
Salt is the ponds’ natural treasure. Ac-
nates from them, NEPA would investigate.
puddles that drowned both the wife
cording to Margaret Morris, author of
Their findings showed that the ponds have
and the brother.
the book, “Tour Jamaica”, the ponds
a high concentration of hydrogen sulphide
used to yield 10,000 bushels of salt
which is produced by bacteria that multi-
annually. That is the equivalent of
ply in rain water. The pungent smell is
400,855 kilograms of salt. The larger of
usually so severe; it causes residents of
the two ponds has a maximum depth of
Yallahs and the inhabitants of distant areas
14 feet and is 10 times saltier than the
in Kingston, St Andrew and St. Catherine
ocean. The latter has a maximum depth
to shut themselves in.
filled by seawater. In actuality ponds
are formed by way of glacial, tectonic
or volcanic activities. In the case of the
Yallahs Ponds, they apparently came
into existence due to major landslides
in the Upper Yallahs River Watershed.
This resulted in widening of the Yallahs
Ford, leaving the coastal path as a
budgets and accompanying Medi-
LGRU
On occasions, when a foul stench ema-
caused the earth to sink only to be
Undoubtedly, the largest single
obstacle to the granting of in-
special set of laws. The laws ad-
Human Resource Management.
being reflected by the water’s surface.
that the famous earthquake of 1692
Cont’d from Page 1
and Financial Management and
too much to handle so he cried himself
The third (and more likely) belief is
Twenty-Two Laws and Counting
system: Governance, Financing
Cont’d from Page 6
accordance with national fiscal and
other relevant policies. Under
the new law, the Minister of Local
Government will have thirty days
to approve the budgets after the
passage of the Appropriations Act
for the relevant financial year.
Additionally, the diverse accounting practices that now exist will be
replaced by a modified Accrual
Accounting system. The accountability systems will be enhanced by
provisions that will mandate the
submission of Annual Financial
Cont’d on Page 3
flood hazard after heavy rainfall. This
constant movement of water and soil
after these landslides and subsequent
heavy rains gave birth to the Yallahs
Ponds.
The ponds alternate between various
colours at least ten times per day. This
is a result of bacteria (red), algae (blue
green) and skylight being reflected by
the water’s surface.
LGRU
NEWSLETTER
of 4 feet and is of equal salinity 3 feet
below the surface. (Morris, 1995, Tour
The University of the West Indies has
Jamaica.)
been fascinated by the research potential
of the micro-organisms of the ponds.
It was common practice for residents
They have sought, through the Artemia
in the area to collect salt from the
Project, to cultivate Artemia (brine
mangrove-filled ponds during the dry
shrimp) in the ponds which are a natural
periods. However, that custom has
source of fish food. . The university’s
vanished along with the abundant sup-
efforts are supporting the Aquaculture by
ply of fish that the ponds used to pro-
reducing costs associated with the impor-
duce.
tation of fish food.
The National Environmental and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Scientific
Research Council (SRC) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) have
taken particular interest in the ponds.
The Yallahs Ponds will likely continue to
be an integral part of the St. Thomas Watershed and Jamaica’s historical and sociocultural diversity.
7
PAGE
6
Twenty-Two Laws and Counting
Be on Your Ps and Qs
PAGE
Cont’d from Page 2
Cont’d from Page 5
Compose and save your reply
as a Draft, then edit and send
after reflection.
E-mail Etiquette:
Although humour or sarcasm will rarely, if ever, be
part of a business e-mail, if
you include either, identify it
as such. Remember that one
person’s joke may be another’s humiliation and could
cause
personnel
action
against you or a lawsuit.
Avoid emotional responses. Give yourself at least several hours to calm down after
Do not forward or quote
messages without permission of
the author
Avoid using all caps, and bold
letters and red ink with exclamation marks in your sentences.
Readers may be offended by
them because they may unwittingly give the impression you
are shouting (Editor’s addition)
As a rule of thumb, you
should respond to e-mail within
twenty-four hours. Activate your
automatic response feature if you
will not be able to access your emails during a particular day.
The response should include a
polite apology and an indication of
a possible time when your response will be given. (Editor’s
addition)
Can you think of any more Dos and
Don’ts of e-mail use? Please
share them with our editorial team:
[email protected]
Statements for submission to Parliament
to the Minister of Local Government and
Community Development and the implementation of new rules of operation for
oversight bodies like the Local Public Accounts Committee (LPACs).
When the Local Government (Unified
Services and Employment) Act is passed, it
will merge the functions of the Parish Ser-
staff. Non-gazetted workers will
not be overlooked; the law will make
provisions for their management and
control by the Local Authority, thereby addressing a gap in present legislation.
The assenting of the Bills by the Gover-
The new Local Governance Act has
not yet advanced to the stage where
it has been laid before the Houses of
Parliament.
capable mantra that will be explored in
nor General will signal a new modus
operandi for the local authorities as well
as the stakeholders who interact with
them. Preparation is therefore the inesfuture publications of this newsletter.
However the provisions of its draft
form are reflective of recommendations that have been made by stakeholders which are included in the
“Proposed Policy Objectives for the
New Local Governance Act”.
vices Commission and the Municipal Services Commission into one entity that
shall be called the Local Government Services Commission, which will regulate the
recruitment and control of all gazetted
Doubles
Local Treasure Spot
A Peek into the Lives of Local Government Practitioners
The Yallahs Ponds: A Tale of Two Brothers by Stefan Mowatt, Summer Worker
Images of Yallahs Ponds
The quiet and sombre village of
There are myriad of stories cir-
the brawl. It is said that the
culating about the origin of the
ponds now act as a sign for
ponds. They range from the
families to treat each other
phantasmal realms of the mythi-
with love.
things - the Yallahs ford (which
cal, to racy accounts of love and
Another story states that the
has gradually disappeared), the
complex explanations of the
older brother had married a
plethora of jerk vendors and the
scientific. The most popular
beautiful woman, but while he
two huge shallow pans of briny
belief is that the lands were an
was away on business, his wife
water, more commonly called
inheritance of two brothers.
and brother slept together.
the Yallahs Ponds, which are our
Legend has it that they quar-
The infidelity of his wife and
focus in this edition of the news-
relled so fiercely that God inter-
betrayal of his brother was
letter.
vened, sinking the land to quell
Yallahs lies on the south east
coast of our island, with a populace of just over 10,000.
This village is famous for three
LGRU
NEWSLETTER
Cont’d on Page 7
This column gives a peek into the
lives of Ethlyn Douglas and
Shane Taylor, Directors of Planning of the St Ann and St Elizabeth
Parish Councils respectively. The
focus on this duo is an excellent
representation of this section,
which features a male and female
who work in exactly the same field
in the local government sector,
thereby promoting awareness of
their job functions in a genderbalanced way.
Ethlyn Douglas
1. What is your middle name?
Ans. Udel – all my names are from
both grandmothers.
2. What is your birth position
among your parents’ children?
Ans. Third
3. What was your favourite cartoon or
story book as a child? Ans. Pink Panther
4. What did you want to grow up to
become?
Ans. A contractor, like my dad, while being a
farmer, like my Mom. (I would still need to
feed myself while earning)
5. When did your tenure as a Planner
in the Councils begin?
Ans. December 02, 2003
6. Share the recipe of your favourite
“power breakfast” that gets you energized for a hard day at work.
Ans. I’m not a breakfast person but I enjoy a
bowl of cereal (hot or cold) and a fruit/fruit
juice.
7. What is the most challenging aspect
of your work?
Ans. Government agencies not working
together and working at cross-purposes.
8. Briefly recount any form of genderrelated discrimination you may have
faced on the job.
Ans. Persons still believe that a woman
should not be in a technical position and I
have been asked where the men in my
Planning Department are.
9. Explain your most effective strategies for managing work-related stress.
Ans. My youngest sister says I have a touch
of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
Cont’d on Page 4
LGRU
NEWSLETTER
3
PAGE
4
PAGE
5
Where are we Now?
Doubles
LED - LEADING
THE CHARGE
IN COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
Cont’d from Page 3
Ethlyn Douglas
Director of Planning
St. Ann Parish Council
and very analytic - so my desk and
office are very organised (even if
there are lots of files) based on the
types of applications, requests and
correspondence. If I’m away from
my desk I can guide anyone where
to find any document/file on my
desk or in my office.
4. What did you want to grow up to
become?
Ans. An Architect
To power down – I listen only to
music in my car and being a closet
techie , I play lots of computer
games. I collect horror books –
Stephen King is the best and l love
John Grisham.
6. Share the recipe of your favourite
“power breakfast” that gets you energized for a hard day at work.
Ans. My power breakfast recipe: An
omelette (two eggs) with onions, garlic,
shredded cheese, diced sausage, along
with Horlicks, an orange/apple/banana,
orange or cranberry juice.
10. What is the one thing about
your job you would never trade
for anything in the world?
Ans. A client calling and stating that
he has received his titles from the
subdivision we approved and he can
now either submit his plans or can
hand each of his children their titles
to go build their own lives and not
have to fight after he/she is gone.
11. In your opinion, what aspect
of the Local Government Reform
Programme is most critical to
your job?
Ans. The promulgation of the National Building Act and its accompanying Codes. This has to be blended
with the effective implementation of
e-governance and the standardisation of the processes, forms, etc. for
the Development Applications Processes.
Shane Taylor
1. What is your middle name?
Ans. Andre
Shane Taylor
Director of Planning
St. Elizabeth Parish Council
LGRU
2. What is your birth position
among your parents’ children?
Ans. First
3. What was your favourite
Cartoon or story book as a child?
Ans. Cartoon- Silver Hawks
NEWSLETTER
5. When did your tenure as Director of
Planning begin?
Ans. April 2013
7. What is the most challenging aspect
of your work?
Ans: The aspect most challenging is
fitting in the programmes and projects
that newly emerge and become an
immediate priority with short delivery
time; especially those tasks which are
not normally part of the mandate given
to you. It’s the thrill that comes with the
challenge that inspires you even more to
deliver on time.
8. Briefly recount any form of genderrelated discrimination you may have
faced on the job.
Ans. I do not recall any form of genderrelated discrimination faced while on the
job.
Ans. The aspect most critical is
the LED Programme, given its
overarching focus on communitybased enterprises and their
growth. While empowering people to better use their skills for
income generation, one will expect a multiplier effect in the
form of smaller business offshoots
or the increased spending power
of citizens that allows them to
further invest in the land and
development activities.
Lance Wilson, Local Economic Development
Officer, explains to Clive Edwards, Project
Manager—Local Government Reform
Programme, the benefits of the new machine
provided by CARILED at the Top Mountain
Juice Factory in St. Catherine.
The buzz words in many local
government quarters these
days are “Local Economic Development’ or “LED”. LED is
an approach to economic development that places emphasis on communities driving
business activities to support
their development needs.
Jamaica currently has 13 approved LED Projects spread
across six local authorities in
five parishes. One of the projects is the Top Mountain Juice
Project in St Catherine.
Operators of the registered
project, which is duly regis-
Representatives of the MLGCD and
Civil Society learn the history and
concept of the Top Mountain Juice
Factory Project .
tocols and conventions that relate to speech, communication
and official conduct. In this issue,
it is all about Electronic Mail,
more popularly known as e-mail.
There was a time, not too long
ago, when sending and receiving
e-mail was an activity confined to
the techies.
However, with the explosion in
new communication methods, email transmissions, although
ubiquitous in our daily routines,
are hardly hip and faddy by any
stretch. Until they become the
dinosaurs of the ICT Universe, email continues to serve a vital
role in business communication.
10. What is the one thing about your
job you would never trade for anything
in the world?
Ans. The ability to cause satisfaction of
a client by meeting their realistic expectations of the approval system. The
feeling experienced is exhilarating yet
humbling, especially when it gets to
tears of gratitude.
11. In your opinion, what aspect of the
Local Government Reform Programme is
most critical to your job?
LGRU
The project mainly supplies
15 schools in the area. However when an extra production
machine, vehicle and generator
are added to the equipment
outlay of the juice factory,
through a donation from the
Caribbean Local
Economic
Development
programme
(CARILED), it is expected that
the business will expand into
the wholesale supply of the
juices. This community-owned
business employs ten factory
workers and 25 farmers.
implementation by providing
office space for the Local Economic Development Officer or
LEDO. Meanwhile the Social
Development
Commission
(SDC) works with the community group to train and mobilise suitable persons for the
project.
The project, like all the other
CARILED LED initiatives, is
done in conjunction with the
relevant local authority which
is responsible for facilitating
Fresh juice being packaged for resale at
the Top Mountain Juice Factory.
Be on Your Ps and Qs
In this section we highlight pro-
9. Explain your most effective strategies
for managing work-related stress.
Ans. (1) Prioritizing, (2) Breaking a task
into subtasks, (3 )delegate, (4) interact
with staff on breaks.
tered, purchase fruits from
farmers in the Top Mountain
Community and make juices
from them for sale.
NEWSLETTER
It should therefore be helpful
for us to reflect on some rules
pertaining to their preparation
and use in the workplace. What
follows are guidelines from the
Rockefeller Archive Center
which were produced by the
Collaborative Electronic Records Project.
The Dos and Don’ts of Email Correspondence
Initiating E-mail:
Write in formal style, using
salutations, e.g. “Dear Mr.
Smith:”
Use a closing signature consist
ing of your name, title, organi
sation, address, telephone
number, and e-mail address.
Always use the spelling and
grammar check feature and
proofread for errors.
When replying to a message,
always put your response at
the top of the sender’s e-mail.
Keep messages brief and to the
point.
Use blind copies judiciously and
be aware that recipients could
inadvertently “reply to all”
including the person who received the blind copy.
If confidential information must
be sent via e-mail, follow departmental procedures regarding encrypting or marking as
confidential.
Cont’d on Page 6