StCMC wants stronger push to recop funds spent repairing infrastructure

The St Catherine Municipal Corporation (StCMC) has unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at better protecting public infrastructure and ensuring that local authorities are compensated for damage caused by motor vehicle crashes, vandalism, and heavy-duty vehicles.
The resolution was tabled by Independence City Councillor Courtney Edwards at Thursday’s meeting of the corporation.
“The time has come for a coordinated national response to the growing cost of repairing roads, drains, sidewalks, street signs, utility poles, fire hydrants, and other public assets damaged across communities,” Edwards argued in the resolution.
A central proposal calls on the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Traffic Department to provide official reports whenever government property is damaged in a road crash. These reports would enable municipal engineers to prepare cost estimates and pursue compensation claims from responsible parties and their motor vehicle insurers.
The resolution also called for insurance companies to compensate municipalities for the repair or replacement of damaged parochial infrastructure, reducing the financial burden currently borne by local authorities.
Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott, who supported the measure, argued that enforcement remained the principal challenge.
“The laws are on the books. They just need to be enforced,” Scott said.
He cited the overhead bridge at Central Village, which was damaged 16 years ago and has yet to be repaired, as evidence of weaknesses in the enforcement process.
Closer collaboration
The corporation is also seeking closer collaboration among agencies, including the National Works Agency, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, the Jamaica Public Service, and the National Water Commission, to coordinate repairs and develop longer-term strategies to protect public assets.
Other recommendations include commissioning a comprehensive damage-and-restoration report, establishing a Community Infrastructure Protection Programme, tightening regulations governing heavy-duty vehicles in residential communities, and introducing a structured reporting system to enable residents to quickly report damaged infrastructure.
Quarterly reviews have also been proposed to monitor repairs and assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
The resolution will be submitted to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ministry of Finance and Planning, insurance companies, concrete suppliers, and other municipal corporations with a request for support in implementing the measures and safeguarding Jamaica’s public infrastructure.
– Ruddy Mathison