Council proposes $100k increase in 2018 budget . . . Chirundu eyes $1m budget

NYAMINYAMI Rural District Council has proposed a $100 000 increase in next year’s budget following a poor performance this year.

The RDC is proposing a $1,7 million budget, up from $1,6 million for this year.

In an interview yesterday, council chairman Mr Lovemore Negande said this year’s budget was performing below expectation. He said ratepayers were failing to pay rates.

“The actual proposed budget for next year is $1 652 971, the current one stands at $1 569 057,” he said.

“This year, the actual revenue we received as at December 13, 2017 is $776 300, so our budget performance is at 49 percent.”

Mr Negande attributed the decision to raise next year’s budget to Statutory Instrument 87 of 2017.

“We increased our budget due to Statutory Instrument 87 of 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement: Rural District Councils, which prescribed salaries and allowances and other conditions of service applicable to all employees of rural district councils in grade one to grade nine with effect from August 1, 2017,” he said.

Mr Negande said Zinara had also increased their road maintenance grant, leading to the increased budget. “This year’s road maintenance grant allocation from Zinara is$338 000 and for next year its $500 000,” he said.

The increase in the allocation from Zinara was as a result of the CHIRUNDU Local Board has proposed a $1 million 2018 budget, which will see an increase of $67 000 from last year.

Town secretary Mr Wilson Gunhe said the local authority was proposing a slight increase after adjustments to the rates at the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority complex, which owns most of the buildings in the area.

“Our current budget is pegged at $1 014 720 and we are proposing a $1 082 000 for next year,” he said.

Mr Gunhe said the Zimra complex at Chirundu Border Post was being undercharged compared to other border towns.

He urged residents to pay their bills to enjoy decent services from council. “Both parties, including

National Road Condition Survey undertaken by Government in 2016, which saw the road network covered by Nyaminyami RDC increasing from 168km to 300km. The road maintenance allocation to road authorities is based on the size of road network. Mr Negande said the council was appealing to its residents and clients to pay their rates.

“The council depends on the revenue for service delivery,” he said. council and residents, should meet their obligations in order to develop our town,” he said.

“As council, we are there to make sure that residents enjoy proper service delivery, but they must pay their bills.”

Mr Gunhe said paying of bills would allow council to address concerns raised by residents during the 2018 budget consultations. Residents called on businesses operating in the border town to plough back the profits they are getting to the community.

Council recently introduced quarterly payment for licences, which has been welcomed by businesspeople in the town.

“The move is bearing fruits as some of them were finding it difficult to make once-off payments,” said Mr Gunhe.

“With ratepayers’ maximum support we can achieve a better budget performance in 2018.”

Mr Negande said council had also embraced the ease-of-doing-business approach.

“Council has adopted an ease -of-doing-business approach on allocation of business stands and as such the period for allocation has been reduced from three months to five days,” he said.