Mayors, town clerks at par with perm secs

THE Bulawayo City Council has pegged foreign trip allowances for their town clerk and mayor at par with those of permanent secretaries as per Government directive.

According to a council confidential report, the local authority has taken guidance from a Treasury circular which, however, only alludes to the pegging of the town clerk and directors without mention of the mayor or deputy mayor’s allowances on foreign travel.

However, in the final council resolution it was agreed that in all foreign travels, the mayor, deputy mayor and town clerk will get subsistence allowances at par with permanent secretaries (non-accounting level), which adds up to $259 a day. Councillors on the other hand have been placed at the level of directors and will be getting $240 per day.

“Travel and subsistence allowance payable to councillors and staff was regulated in terms of Treasury circular number 14 of 1998 issued by the relevant central Government ministry. Apparently, central Government had since issued Treasury circular number eight of 2016 which had been availed to council recently.

“Given the fact that there were some remarkable differences between the governance of central Government ministries and local authorities, it was deemed desirable to select rates of subsistence from the said circular which were commensurate with the mandate and business of local authorities functionaries at both policy making and administration levels.

“The town clerk enlightened the meeting that the town clerk of Harare and Bulawayo were equivalent to permanent secretary, whereas their directors are equivalent to directors in ministry. Deputy Directors are equivalent to deputy directors in the ministry. While awaiting ministerial guidance, the mayor and deputy be pegged at the level of town clerk and other councillors be pegged at directors’ level,” reads part of the reports.

All other employees will be entitled only to the base rate, which is pegged at $175. In the same minutes it was revealed that despite the local authority including the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors within these allowances, the ministry had not approved this noting that there were outstanding issues with regards to them inclusive of the investigation on BCC and that the councillors were still yet to justify their requirement for computers or tablets.

“The town clerk explained that when he sought clarification from the ministry, he had been advised that there was still some outstanding issues with regards to councillors. There was need to give justification in terms of laptops, as well as condonations in writing relating to investigations which were carried out by the ministry last year. The town clerk further advised that council was still under embargo for travel outside the country because it was still behind in terms of salaries, and regulations had been flouted. He also advised that this was a Government policy which should be complied with,” reads the report.

Last year the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing slashed incidental allowances for councillors and council officials from $50 to $10 per day further banning the holding of workshops, seminars and training sessions outside the areas of jurisdiction.

This was part of moves by the Government to plug loopholes which some local authorities were using to siphon ratepayers’ money at the expense of service delivery. Government also pegged monthly allowances mayors and councillors must receive. Harare mayor is supposed to get $1 250, his deputy; $840, Harare committee chairpersons will get $560 while ordinary councillors will get $550. In Bulawayo the mayor is supposed to get $1 000, deputy mayor; $660, council committee chairperson; $450 while an ordinary councillor will get $400. In other cities the mayor must get $840, deputy mayor; $550, committee chairperson; $370 and ordinary councillor; $350.

Municipal mayors will get $600, deputy mayors; $400, committee chairpersons; $300 and ordinary councillors; $300. Town local board mayors will get $560, deputy mayors; $350, committee chairpersons; $300 and councillors; $250. For Lupane and Chirundu councils the mayors will get $350, deputy mayors; $280, committee chairpersons; $240 while ordinary councillors will get $200.