The Linden Mayor and Town Council has directed the immediate reopening of the Kara Kara Toll Station and the resumption of toll collection under the existing gazetted rates.
The council is contending that the suspension of operations and revocation of its 2016 toll by-laws were not completed through the proper legal process.
In a letter addressed to Town Clerk Lennox Gasper, Mayor Dominique Blair said the directive was issued on behalf of the council and required the administration to take all necessary steps to restore operations at the toll station without delay.
The council said it does not accept that the Minister’s purported revocation of the Linden Town Council (Toll) By-Laws 2016 was lawfully effected.
According to the letter, the by-laws were “duly made, approved and gazetted,” and the council itself has not passed a resolution to repeal or discontinue them. The issue was also not brought before the council for a decision to end the by-laws, the correspondence stated.
“The Council does not accept the unilateral revocation as lawfully effected and considers that the existing By-Laws remain the basis on which the toll should operate unless and until they are lawfully amended or repealed,” the letter said.
The town clerk was instructed to resume toll collection at the current gazetted rates while discussions continue between the council and the Government over possible changes to the charges.
The council said the toll rate dispute should be handled separately from the decision to keep the facility open, arguing that negotiations over rates should not lead to the closure of the station or the suspension of council revenue.
“The Council views the toll rates as a separate matter,” the letter stated. “The Council and Government are currently discussing the rates and proposed changes. Those discussions should continue separately and should not result in the closure of the toll or the suspension of the Council’s revenue.”
Mayor Blair directed the town clerk to make the required administrative arrangements for an immediate resumption of operations and to advise the council once the toll station has been reopened.
The letter said the directive was made in keeping with the council’s decision and was issued without prejudice to its position on the legality of the Minister’s attempted revocation.
