Linden Mayor Dominique Blair and the Town Council are objecting to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand’s order to stop toll collection on Kara Kara Public Road, arguing that it undermines the municipality’s legal authority and financial independence.
Manickchand ordered the Town Clerk to immediately stop imposing and collecting tolls or other charges on the Kara Kara Public Road.
In a statement, the Council said the ministerial directive was legally questionable, internally inconsistent and contrary to the constitutional autonomy afforded to local democratic organs.
The dispute centres on the Council’s authority to collect revenue from the Kara Kara toll arrangement and the wider financial impact of Central Government decisions on Linden’s ability to fund municipal services.
Mayor Blair said the Council would comply with the law but would not accept “unsupported assertions” about the limits of its authority.
“The Council will comply with the law, but it will not accept unsupported assertions concerning the limits of its legal authority,” the statement said. “The Government must identify the lawful basis for its intervention.”
The Council rejected the Minister’s reported assertion that no by-law or legal order had authorised toll collection at Kara Kara.
According to the Council, the Linden Town Council (Toll) bylaws 2016 were approved by the Government at the time and gazetted on August 20, 2016. The by-laws established tolls for several categories of vehicles and classified the funds collected as revenue belonging to the municipality.
The Kara Kara toll booth was reopened in November 2016, with revenue intended to help the Council meet recurring expenses such as employee salaries, National Insurance Scheme contributions, gratuity payments and other municipal obligations.
The Council said that if the Government believes the 2016 by-laws were repealed, revoked, superseded or otherwise invalidated, it should publicly identify the specific legal instrument that produced that result.
It is also seeking clarification on the status of Kara Kara Road, which the Minister’s directive identifies as a public road. The Council wants the Government to state when that designation took effect, the legal authority under which it was made and how it affected any existing Council rights or revenue arrangements.
The Council argued that the dispute cannot be separated from Linden’s deteriorating financial position.
It said the earlier removal of the Wismar-Mackenzie Bridge toll eliminated an estimated G$70 million in annual revenue for the municipality. That loss, the Council said, has worsened its ability to meet salaries and carry out key functions including garbage collection, infrastructure maintenance and other statutory responsibilities.
With the Kara Kara toll now also under threat, the Council questioned what replacement financing the Central Government intends to provide.
Among the questions raised were whether there would be a dedicated subvention, an alternative revenue stream, a financial settlement for revenue already lost, or a plan to ensure the municipality can continue providing essential services.
“Central Government cannot remove municipal revenue while simultaneously expecting the Council to continue providing services efficiently,” the statement said, describing the situation as “financial strangulation rather than genuine local-government empowerment.”
The Council said the issue raises broader questions about local democracy and financial independence.
“Where is the alternative revenue source? Where is the dedicated subvention? Where is the replacement revenue? Where is the financial settlement for revenue already removed? What is the Government’s plan to ensure that Linden can continue paying workers, collecting garbage, maintaining infrastructure and fulfilling the statutory responsibilities imposed on the municipality?”
It pointed to Article 75 of the Constitution of Guyana, which provides for the autonomy of local democratic organs and recognises their authority to make binding decisions within their respective jurisdictions. It also cited Article 77A, which requires Parliament to establish objective criteria for allocating resources to local democratic organs and for enabling those bodies to raise resources.
The Council argued that local autonomy cannot be meaningful where municipal revenue can be removed by the Central Government without an adequate, transparent and legally secure replacement mechanism.
“An elected municipality cannot be truly autonomous if Central Government can continually remove its revenue base while access to replacement resources depends upon ministerial discretion,” the Council said.
The Linden Mayor and Town Council has called on the Minister to suspend enforcement of the directive pending consultation and legal clarification.
It is demanding that the Government:
State the legal basis for directing an end to toll collection on Kara Kara Road.
Identify the law, order, declaration or other instrument under which the road became a public road in the manner asserted.
Clarify whether the Linden Town Council (Toll) By-Laws 2016 remain in force.
Identify any instrument that repealed or invalidated those by-laws, if applicable.
Meet urgently with the Mayor and Council on the municipality’s financial difficulties.
Provide a sustainable and legally guaranteed replacement for revenue streams removed from the Council.
Address the estimated G$70G$70 million annual loss from the removal of the Wismar-Mackenzie Bridge toll.
Establish a transparent and objective constitutional framework for municipal financing and revenue generation.
The Council also highlighted what it described as a political inconsistency: the APNU+AFC administration approved and gazetted the toll arrangement in 2016, while the current PPP/C Government is seeking to stop collection at Kara Kara after the removal of the bridge toll.
The Council said it is prepared to pursue legal action if necessary to defend its authority, financial viability and the rights of Linden residents.
“If Central Government removes a municipality’s revenue, it must provide a lawful, adequate and sustainable replacement,” the statement added.. “Government cannot dismantle the revenue base of an elected municipality and then expect that municipality to continue functioning as though nothing has changed.”
