AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment Injunction against road served

andrew B
Great questions. Since all four questions ask for the position of the town board, or what was/was not done by the town board (and when), I can only state the obvious which is that your questions are best directed to the town board itself. As I mentioned previously, I am in no way affiliated with the town board. Nor am I the developer of, or in the employ of, Grand Belizean Estates.

This is a San Pedro Town Council project. The forum thread pertains to attempts at serving an injunction against the Mata Grande road project. However, the injunction was not served on the Town Council, in spite of this being a Town Council project.

Yes, you should address these question to the San Pedro Town Council.
No, I am not able nor qualified to answer on their behalf.

It sounds like we are both in agreement that the problem is one of the town not having enough money (big surprise in today's world). Do you live here in San Pedro? If so, I would like to know whether you would favor a $500BZ increase in your property taxes or a $.10 increase in gasoline costs to provide much needed infrastructure improvements? Would you be willing to step up to the plate as well?

We can all agree that the town board needs more funds to help with expenses and expansion of public services. Where do you suggest those much needed funds come from?

There is no room for San Pedro Town to grow. It is inevitable that there will be a second population center somewhere on Ambergris Caye, apart from San Pedro Town. It would be foolish to expect that an island 24 miles long will only ever harbor a single town or population center. The island will continue to grow, the population will continue to increase and Americans and Canadians will continue to retire to Ambergris Caye. Jobs will continue to proliferate which in turn will bring more laborers and employees from the mainland to fill those positions. These things will happen no matter what you, I, or anyone else does.

So the fundamental underlying problem and question is...what changes need to take place to increase funding to the San Pedro Town Council so that it can address the challenge of not only maintaining current basic infrastructure and services, but to expand those services and infrastructure to meet with the inevitable growth.

It's very easy and convenient to be an armchair quarterback and argue that because town services are lacking there should be no additional development or growth. I would argue that to be very short sighted thinking. It is better to say that because town services are lacking, there should be a concerted effort by all parties, to assist the town (financially) to meet the challenges presented by growth and development.

The next comment after yours - from beachbumin - states that "there appears to be no source of revenue". That is the problem in a nutshell... to find/create/provide a source of revenue for the SPTC. Potholed roads are merely a symptom. I have offered two potentially viable solutions. It's easy to jump on the bandwagon of restating the problem (insufficient funds/no revenue source). Is there anyone else who would like to discuss possible solutions that generate $ for the SPTC? The solution to the problem is easy to identify ($)and much harder to make reality.

Any constructive options to be put forth?

beachbummin, I think it should be moved because this thread is not the sort of information tourists to Belize would normally seek. I believe that this thread would be more appropriate in the Living in Belize section and that's why I suggested it. We can agree to disagree on the relevance of this particular thread in this particular area of the forums group.

JG, You keep saying we need to DONATE to the Town board, we should ACCEPT a new tax or a raise in Property TAX. The answer is far more simpler than that. Instead of putting all the burden on the people who already pay their bills with the SPTB, they should seriously think about collecting all the debts that are already owed to them in back property taxes and people who don't pay their trade licenses. (We're not talking only a few thousand bucks here!) There are substantial landowners on this island who haven't paid property taxes in decades and I'M supposed to cover their share???!! What happens to people who don't pay their trade license? They get their name in the paper for one week and get THREATENED to not get their license renewed? I've seen the same people in the paper that are years behind on their trade license fees.

Until the town gets their own house in order, Don't even THINK about raising my rates!

JG. Do you deny that the initial construction of the road was being undertaken by the developer listed on the letter provided by Elbert on page 5?

Do you further deny that the work on the road was started prior to the issuance of the said letter?

Are you stating that most of the 360 lots sold to date in the subdivision have been sold to Belizeans?

The inferences that you make are that the subdivision is needed to house all the workers that will be moving here. I would be very surprised if more then a dozen lots have been sold to Belizeans other than members of the town board and their Families for obvious reasons.

You mention that some of those people are being shortsighted. Can I ask you how construction of the homes in the area is to take place. Where will the materials come from? How will they get to the site? Is the developer going to be bringing electricity and water into the subdivision and to the lots? Will the developer be providing fire, health, education and police services in the area? what about cable TV? Have any of these issues been addressed? Are we to be counting on the town board to also take care of these concerns? Garbage?


Just wondering why you think I should increase my taxes so that we can pay for the developer to provide these services? How much is the developer contributing?

How much money has been paid to the town board? and what is paid to them individually or directly to the entity?

I can think of many more questions to ask but I think this is a great start. I have nothing against this subdivision and certainly nothing against you or anyone else that is doing things legally. I have seen too many people work around the system to think that it does not happen and also seen too many people provide answers to those issues without really thinking it through.

I also think that by answering those questions you will allow possible investors to make a more informed decision about the possibility of buying in the area.

I have heard that several developers here on the island some of which own substantial amounts of land here are exempt from property taxes for a 10 year period. Does this subdivision fall into that category?

We are already paying higher taxes in the form of the various neighborhood watch programs. Fees that are paid because the police can not do their job effectivly. You guys want us to pay more? Where does it stop?

It doesn't, thats the difference between PUP & UDP or Dems And Repubs.

//ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/359893/ACCSD_to_file_injunction_again.html#Post359893

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Oops! that was the wrong link
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa3/elbertgreer/LagunadeMato.jpg

Elbert - is any part of the new road or the area it is supposed to serve shown on Chris Allnatt's new aerial photos on his Pelican Properties website?