City council in cost-cutting drive
HARARE City Council has introduced several revenue enhancement strategies and cost containment measures which include stopping the holding of workshops outside the city, Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango has said.
Speaking at the Rapid Results Project MidTerm Review at Town House on Friday, Eng Chisango said a range of measures were being implemented to cut costs.
“A cocktail of measures were proposed to cut costs and these include the following; reduction of council workshops and attendance of out of Harare workshops by council employees, use of council facilities for functions and events, controlling overtime and ensuring the departments stick to the approved limits and efficient resource allocation in terms of vehicles, fuel and others,” he said.
Eng Chisango said council had devised sustainable strategies that will enable it to remain afloat in the midst of the economic challenges facing the country.
Council has already started setting up teams for the next 100 days, which will cut across issues ranging from beautification of the city, roads, renewal of city buildings and general service delivery.
The local authority is also escalating revenue collection in new revenue streams to ease pressure on ratepayers.
Eng Chisango said the city was tapping into lease management and billboards revenue streams.
“Licensing, land, leases management, markets, billboards and building inspections are key revenue streams that, if fully exploited, can change the fortunes of council,” he said.
“Lease managements remain a non-performing revenue stream and it is my hope that with the programme we will be able to exploit the full potential of this income.”
Eng Chisango said they would make efforts to recover debtors arrears which had accumulated to about $925 million.
He said council was anticipating to rake in revenue from regularisation of all settlements built on land zoned residential.
“Those on wetlands, institutional land and other critical services sites cannot be regularised,” said Eng Chisango. “I, therefore, implore the responsible team and department to expedite the implementation of this resolution.”