MP York: Govt cannot accept landfill work, then hide behind contract excuses

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Darryl York has sharply criticized Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs over the handling of the payment dispute involving Fleming Waste Solutions, saying the Minister’s explanation does not answer the most important question: how government intends to pay a local contractor that has continued to perform essential landfill-related work for St. Maarten.

York said the Minister’s position that Fleming Waste Solutions has been carrying out some services without a formal agreement since 2021 may describe part of the administrative problem, but it does not excuse the Ministry’s failure to present a solution after accepting the work for years. “If this company has been working and being paid since 2021, why is it only now that it has become a problem?”

York said the public should not lose sight of the simple reality that Fleming Waste Solutions has been performing work for government, work that directly affects waste management, landfill operations and public health. He said government cannot benefit from the service, allow the work to continue, and then shift the burden onto the contractor when payment becomes due. According to York, the lack of a formal agreement does not erase the fact that services were rendered, accepted and relied upon by the Ministry.

“This is not a case where someone showed up one day and submitted an invoice out of nowhere,” York said. “This is work government knew was being done. This is work that has been taking place for years. This is landfill work, essential work, and the Minister cannot simply say there was no contract and leave the man unpaid.”

York said government has operated for years with services that were not always backed by perfect documentation, while ministries worked to formalize arrangements. He said if Minister Gumbs wants to correct that system, he should do so responsibly, without causing disruption to essential services and without leaving local contractors to carry the financial burden alone.

“If the Minister wants a specific budget line, if he wants a formal agreement, if he wants to clean up the process, then do it,” York said. “But you do not destroy the contractor in the meantime. You do not allow a man to pay workers out of his own pocket for five months and then act like the problem started yesterday.”

York pointed to the November 2025 disruption at the landfill, when Fleming Waste Solutions reopened the landfill after reaching a payment agreement with government. He said that agreement should have triggered urgent action inside VROMI to prevent the same issue from returning.

“The same Minister was there in November,” York said. “So he knew about this. If the Ministry knew since November that there was a problem, what was done between then and now? Why is the country back in the same place?”

York said Minister Gumbs entered office saying that the Ministry was reviewing arrangements inherited from the previous administration. He questioned why, during that review, this issue was not identified and corrected before it again became a public crisis.

“You cannot spend two years in office and still talk as if every problem belongs to someone else,” York said. “At this point, the question is not only how the situation started. The question is what did you do to fix it?”

The MP also rejected what he described as the Minister’s attempt to hide behind the phrase “no legal basis.” York said that when a company performs work for government, especially work that is known, accepted and necessary, the government must find a lawful way to resolve the obligation.

“If the service was rendered, that is a basis for government to act,” York said. “If the paperwork is wrong, fix the paperwork. If the budget line is wrong, come to Parliament. If an agreement is needed, finalize it. But do not use the absence of a contract as a way to leave people unpaid.”

York said the issue is even more troubling because landfill work is not optional. He said the company’s work

affects garbage handling, waste processing, public health, neighborhoods, and St. Maarten’s image.

“This is not a luxury,” York said. “This is not something government can push aside. Garbage does not wait for paperwork. If garbage is not collected or processed, the country pays the price through rodents, foul conditions, health risks and public frustration.”

York questioned why the Minister did not raise the matter clearly during the budget process. He said the 2025 budget was handled multiple times in Parliament, yet the Minister did not use those opportunities to ask for amendments or identify the funding needed for known VROMI obligations.

“The budget came to Parliament more than once,” York said. “If the Minister knew he did not have money to pay for essential landfill services, why did he not say so? Why did he not ask for an amendment? Why did he stand with the budget and then later say there is no money?”

The MP also challenged the government’s broader spending priorities. He questioned why additional funds could be approved for other projects while the Ministry of VROMI claims difficulty paying for landfill-related services that were already being rendered. York pointed to the marketplace redesign, the Soul Beach funding debate, road works and other expenditures as examples of government decisions that he believes require clearer explanation.

“You cannot say there is no money for essential services, but then money appears for other things,” York said. “The people deserve to know how priorities are being set.”

York said the Fleming Waste Solutions matter also fits into what he described as a broader pattern of instability under the VROMI portfolio. He referenced the cancellation and uncertainty surrounding roadside cleaning contracts, the pressure placed on garbage haulers, complaints about dirty districts and recurring issues with road repairs and infrastructure.

“Every time something breaks down, it is somebody else’s fault,” York said. “The contractor is blamed. The previous government is blamed. The budget is blamed. But the Minister has been there for two years. The responsibility to fix it is now his.”

York said the impact of these decisions goes beyond contractors and paperwork. He said workers connected to landfill operations, garbage collection and roadside cleaning are trying to provide for their families, and many depend on these jobs as a second chance and a path away from hardship.

“When you disrupt these contracts without a plan, you are not only affecting companies,” York said. “You are affecting workers, families and communities. You are playing with livelihoods.” The MP said it is unacceptable for government to allow local contractors to be publicly criticized over service challenges while failing to disclose that non-payment may be contributing to the problem.

“If a company is being blamed because equipment is not working or service is falling behind, but government has not paid that company for months, then government must be honest with the people,” York said. “You cannot let a contractor’s name be dragged through the mud while you know payment is part of the problem.”

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