PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg demanded details about the staffing, training and monitoring arrangements at the wastewater treatment plant, while MP Franklin Meyers called for a system through which visitors contribute to the cost of keeping Sint Maarten clean.
Their contributions to Parliament’s discussion on waste and wastewater management raised questions about the ministry’s operational capacity and the financing of tourism-affected services.
Roseburg asked Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs how many ministry employees manage and operate the wastewater treatment plant, which departments they come from, and whether their assignments are temporary or permanent.
She also questioned whether transferring personnel to the facility had weakened other government services.
“How is their assignment affecting operations in the departments they came from?” she asked, requesting details of any tasks or services delayed or reduced as a result.
Gumbs had earlier informed Parliament that the ministry was carrying out daily operations after the previous plant management agreement ended in August 2026 and was not renewed.
Roseburg sought clarification on whether the facility is staffed around the clock, including weekends and public holidays. If it is not, she asked who monitors operations outside normal working hours.
She further requested confirmation that the assigned employees possess the training and certification required to operate a wastewater treatment plant.
Her questions also covered compensation, including whether employees receive overtime, shift allowances, or additional payments for hazardous duties or assigned functions.
On enforcement, Roseburg asked Gumbs to identify the legislative assistance he needs from Parliament.
She said outdated laws were part of the problem and asked for a list of measures MPs could help advance as co-legislators.
“Where do you need the help?” she asked.
Roseburg also asked for an update on a motion she said she submitted with MP Sarah Wescot-Williams during the 2026 budget discussions on illegal dumping and fines.
In particular, she sought progress on a dedicated hotline for residents to report violations. While acknowledging that a contact number already exists, she questioned whether a more specific complaints hotline could be established and whether compensation for people making reports had been considered.
Following earlier remarks by MP Ludmilla de Weever, Roseburg also asked whether the government had examined waste-collection financing arrangements elsewhere in the Dutch Caribbean.
She emphasized that her question aimed to establish the status of that discussion, not to call for additional charges on residents’ current bills.
Meyers, meanwhile, pressed Gumbs to establish the cause of the wastewater overflow shown in a circulating video.
He asked whether it resulted from an operational problem, such as a blockage, or whether it was connected to the end of the previous management contract and an interruption in maintenance.
Meyers also wanted to know whether similar incidents had occurred before.
He argued that Parliament needed to distinguish between a problem that can arise during normal operations and an overflow caused by inadequate upkeep.
His questions echoed De Weever’s earlier request for a clear explanation of whether the incident was linked to the management transition.
Turning to garbage collection, Meyers argued that the government’s financing arrangements must account for the waste generated by visitors alongside that produced by residents.
He suggested that a collection contract sufficient for the resident population could still face pressure from additional tourism demands.
Meyers called on the government to determine how visitors could contribute to the island's cleanliness, including the costs of garbage collection and the landfill.
“We are going to have to figure out a way for them to contribute to the cleanliness of the island also,” he said.
While recognizing tourism as the country’s main source of income, Meyers argued that visitor activity also strains infrastructure and the environment.
He did not outline a specific fee, collection mechanism, or proposed amount during his contribution.
The supplied transcript ends with the MPs’ speaking round. It did not include Gumbs’ responses to Roseburg’s staffing questions or Meyers’ proposals on visitor contributions.