adminMarvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
GWANDA Rural District Council has adopted the proposed $1,9million 2014 budget with tariffs remaining unchanged. The chairperson of the finance committee, Councillor George Chipengo, who presented the budget before councillors on Friday, said in crafting the document, council considered service delivery as a key factor while low inflation guided the budgeting process.
“There was no justification of increasing our levies, taxes, fees and licences considering the low incomes of our community and the stable inflation figures. The levels of unit taxes, levies, licences, fees, remained unchanged,” said Clr Chipengo.
He added: “Certainly, there was no room or avenue to justify any increases of levies and taxes.”
The budget was adopted after council conducted wide stakeholder consultative meetings which were also attended by traditional and political leaders and the business community.
“Council managed to collect revenue of above 37percent during year 2013 from a budgeted figure of $1,7million excluding grant aided income. We had to eat what we collected and we are technically operating on a cash budget. We hope that 2014 will usher in better prospects in terms of revenue inflows,” said Clr Chipengo.
He said grant aided funding was not forthcoming from central government which was also facing difficulties. Clr Chipengo said as at November 30, 2013, there was uncollected revenue amounting to $1,06million. He said the local authority cancelled $1,9million debts in line with the government directive to write off debts and the figure for debtors now stands at $767,000.
Clr Chipengo said council failed to undertake most of its 2013 capital projects due to financial constraints as rate payers failed to make payments to council as expected.
He said the debt write off has resulted in reduced inflows especially during the last quarter of the financial year. Clr Chipengo urged ratepayers to pay rentals to council on time to enable council to improve service delivery. He said this year council managed to do grading of roads in eight wards while the remaining wards were expected to be covered next year depending on the availability of funds.
“Some wards in the district managed to access their 70 percent development levy for the years 2012 and 2013 to carry out their development projects within their wards,” said Clr Chipengo.
He said in budgeting for 2014, council also considered issues of women involvement in local government and child protection.
Clr Chipengo said they were also going to incorporate the new economic blueprint, Zim-Asset, into their 2014 financial planning.
Online Reporter