Pattaya’s mayor had to pay for streetlight bulbs out of his own pocket because the city has been so bad at collecting taxes to pay for spares.
Passakorn U-somboon, chairman of Civil and Public Utilities Commission, and city engineers changed bulbs at intersections in the Soi Arunothai Community off Pattaya Central Road, following complaints about dark streets.
Pattaya City Council assistant secretary Eakpraphu Ekasingh and member of the Arunothai neighborhood council, said the community often is hit with power surges and blackouts, which damages bulbs. But when he asked city hall to replace the burned-out bulbs, he was told there weren’t any.
Passakorn said that in the past two years, Pattaya hasn’t been collecting enough taxes needed to buy reserve light bulbs. So, he appealed to Mayor Poramet Ngampichet, who paid for bulbs at the intersections out of his own pocket, while the Engineering Department placed their orders for new supplies.
The Pattaya City Council has approved a lightbulb budget for 2023, so such problems should diminish, Passakorn said.
