Current Caye Caulker Chairlady Seleny Villanueva-Pott clarified the allegations that her administration has not been performing adequately, particularly in properly reconciling village funds. According to a letter dated April 6, 2022, from the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labor, and Local Government, the Caye Caulker Village Council was urged to comply fully with its duties and submit financial reports monthly. The leaked letter coincides with the Village Council elections taking place this weekend, and Pott claims the information is out of context, and currently, there are no issues in her administration.
The letter from the ministry further stated that the inventory was overdue and highlighted that bank reconciliation was an issue. Some of the observations noted in the letter included that ‘deposits were not made daily and the cash book was not updated daily, as required by law.’ Because Village Council elections were around the corner, the Chairlady was reminded to closely watch all financial-related activities.
Chairlady Pott, who is seeking re-election under an independent slate, stated that all is well in her administration and the revealing of the letter is perhaps for political reasons. She explained that before the letter was issued in April, staff was in and out with COVID-19, and the administrator was on leave. This explains the backlog in work at the village council. Pott added that they had to change the system when she took over, as everything was done manually. They updated their procedures and even implemented programs like QuickBooks for their accounting. She said they have been working hand in hand with the local government and following their recommendations. “I know that whatever recommendations were made from the local government, we established them,” said Pott. After that, some changes saw the different administrative desks reconciled, and daily deposits were made under the administrator’s supervision. “These changes seemed very efficient, and I am confident that everything has reverted to normalcy,” said Pott. She said that the incumbent Caye Caulker Village is constantly communicating with the Ministry of Local Government.
Pott assures everyone that their April, May, and June reports are all updated and ready for a handover following this Village Council Elections set for Sunday, June 26.
The Sun contacted the ministry for comment, but calls went unanswered.
