PHILIPSBURG--The Executive Council decided not to call a new Island Council meeting and instead sent the draft resolution on the building permit for Party Light NV to the Court, where the case of the company against government resumes today, Friday.
The decision was taken following deliberations in the Executive Council, since it made no sense to call a new meeting with two Island Council members absent, Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards explained Thursday evening. Government also wanted to avoid a repeat of Thursday's situation, where the meeting had to be adjourned because of a lack of quorum with Councilmen Theo Heyliger and Johan "Janchi" Leonard absent.
Richards had to adjourn the meeting twice on Thursday, because there was no quorum with only six Island Council members, all of the DP members present, having signed in. Seven are needed, clarified the Lt. Governor in his function as Chairman of the Island Council at the meeting.
According to the rules and regulations of the Island Council as well as the Islands Regulation ERNA, a meeting can't proceed without a quorum. When a new meeting is called, it has to take place within 24 hours.
Instead of calling a new meeting and running the risk of lacking a quorum once again, it was decided to send the draft resolution of the Central Committee to Court as substantial matter for the Court case, Richards told The Daily Herald. A note was sent along, explaining what had taken place in Thursday's Island Council meeting. "This way we hope that the legal procedure won't get hampered," he added.
When asked about the date to convene a new Island Council meeting, the Lt. Governor said this would have to wait until one of the two absent DP Island Council members is back. In that meeting the Council can still vote on the draft resolution, even though the document has already gone to Court.
About Thursday's occurrence, Richards said: "I regret that the meeting didn't go ahead, because meetings of the Island Council are being held to discuss and in the end decide on matters of the people of St. Maarten."
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