High Turnout for October General Meeting

Key Issues Addressed, A Plan of Action Being Developed…

There was a very strong turnout to the October General Meeting of the SPBA. Many business owners from the community came together to discuss various issues that are, or have the potential to affect the business climate of San Pedro.

The first issue addressed was Garbage and Garbage Collection on the island. From the lack of collection services on the north end of the island, to the lack of proper collection equipment and the need for compactor vehicles to deal with this growing concern, much was discussed. As development of the island continues to grow rapidly, this issue is only going to grow as well. Area Representative Honorable Manuel Heredia commented that the San Pedro Town Council understands the need for such equipment however the issue is the lack of money in the budget to address the issue.

This lack of funds for the local government ties directly into the second issue discussed, which was taxation. The San Pedro Town Council operates using property taxes, trade and liquor licenses revenue and transfers from the Central Government. The amount of money that is generated on the island from income and business taxes is very large; however the amount that transfers back to the island from Central Government for infrastructure and maintenance is quite small. This causes issues for Town Council and the Residents of San Pedro alike. Members of the SPBA feel that a portion of the business tax revenue should stay directly on the island, to be used to address various issues like garbage collection and road safety & improvements among others. A good example of this was the road situation on the island. The roads were in such bad shape that the business community had to come together and threaten to withhold business taxes if the Central Government didn’t do something to fix the situation (thus the SPBA was formed).

It was decided that a Plan of Action would be drafted, based on the input of the members of the SPBA. This Plan of Action will address the various issues and concerns voiced by the members of the SPBA, and examine possible solutions. With a clear plan, the issues can then be brought to San Pedro Town Council and Central Government with the goal of creating long-term solutions.

Members were also urged to continue to recruit business owners to join the Association. The larger the membership in the SPBA, stronger it’s voice when looking for solutions to these issues. For more information please contact: info@sanpedrobusiness.com or call 501.226.2254