Debt to the Sanitation Authority Exceeds $116 Million

For the president, José Raúl Mulino, there is a problem of citizen responsibility and he urged people to pay for public services. The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, revealed alarming figures regarding the delinquency of the sanitation tax during his weekly press conference. In total, the Urban and Residential Sanitation Authority (AAUD) is owed $116 million 128 thousand, of which $20 million 179 thousand are from commercial clients, $93 million 945 thousand from residential clients and $2 million from public institutions.  The president, urges people to do their civic duty and pay for public services, just as they pay for loans, cars and electricity.  Mulino also said that at the beginning of his administration there were 26 garbage compactor trucks, in addition there were 27 trucks abandoned almost for disposal, however, the director of the AAUD, Ovil Moreno, took on the task of investigating truck by truck.

During his investigation, Moreno realized that damage was minor and that the trucks could be repaired for less than $15,000, Mulino said.  “If this is not embezzlement, I am not called what I am called,” said the president, while questioning whether the idea was to let them fall apart in order to buy newer vehicles.  Mulino said that the cars were fixed for less than $180, since they only had damaged batteries, burned alternators, tires that produced dirty water leaks, among others. Today, the AAUD has 53 compaction trucks working, operating and cleaning.  He also mentioned that the preparation of the “December Plan” was approved, because during the end-of-year holidays the amount of tons of garbage generated increases for AAUD.