Vusumuzi Dube
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
BULAWAYO residents will next year have to fork out 155 percent more in rates and rentals if the proposed Bulawayo City Council is endorsed.
The local authority has come up with a varying fees increases for various services in the city which averages an increase of 216 percent unlike in previous years where they came up with a blanket percentage increase.
According to the proposed figures residents will pay 155 percent more for rates and rentals, 170 percent more for water, 300 percent more for refuse and 160 percent more for sewerage.
Presenting the proposed 2022 budget projections, BCC director of financial services revealed that they had come up with a total budget of $24,7 billion with $16,8 billion being the revenue budget while $7,9 billion was the capital budget.
For 2022 the set priorities are water, health, sewerage, housing, roads, education, public lighting, social services and fire and ambulance.
The breakdown for the proposed budget will see $2,7 billion go towards water, $6,5 billion to health, $1,7 billion to sewerage, $14,3 million to housing, $1,4 billion to roads, $805 million to education, $452 million to public lighting, $1,5 billion to social services and $1,8 billion will go towards fire and ambulance.
The local authority singled out fuel costs, cost of PPEs, water treatment chemicals and ZESA which increased their rates by 954 percent as the cost drivers necessitating the review upwards.
Questioned on the reaction of residents to date on the proposed figures, the Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube said the rates they came up with were the best and fairest considering the various cost drivers they were faced with.
“Yes, we have some residents who have said these figures are too much of which we will then go back and reconsider our submissions to our stakeholders, however, this is the fairest budget that we have done as a council,” said Mr Dube.
Online Reporter