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Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent
Harare City Council (HCC) has released a timetable for consultation meetings with civic groups and residents on a supplementary budget.
This comes after the original budget of $472,2 million was eroded due to the prevailing economic environment.
The supplementary budget is expected to be in place within the next two months.
HCC corporate communications manager Mr Michael Chideme said the meetings will be done in the spirit of participatory budgeting.
“We have begun consultations for the supplementary budget. We are calling for full participation of all stakeholders.
“We want to have a shared budget that is mutually accepted by all parties. Councillors will be visiting various centres in their wards with council officials to get input from the people. Consulting the people means we value their input,” he said.
Council’s acting finance director, Mr Stanley Ndemera, said it was vital to come up with a new budget as the current one had been eroded by inflation.
“We crafted our 2019 budget on the basis that the exchange rate would be 1:1 . . .but the expenditure is probably 1:5 now,” he said.
Tomorrow and Friday the local authority will host civic groups and the business community at Town House.
On Sunday at least 23 wards will conduct the consultation meetings in their respective areas that include Mbare, Hatfield, Waterfalls, Kuwadzana, Mabelreign and Warren Park, among others.
The meetings for the remaining wards will be held from May 29-June 1.
Online Reporter