More councillors owe the city
City budget shows 27 councillors are more than three months in arrears for basic services.
DESPITE all assurances that the city is taking issue with councillors that owe money to the city, the opposite is true, claimed finance committee member, DA councillor Rick Crouch.
Crouch revealed that the budget statement report for month ending 30 June 2014, which was tabled at the finance committee meeting on 24 July 2014, showed that there are currently 27 councillors in arrears for more than 90 days with an amount totalling R100,965.
There were also 146 ward committee members in arrears for more than 90 days with an amount totalling R1,303,185 and 1554 employees in arrears for more than 90 days with an amount totalling R7,881,841.
“The same report for the month ending 31 May 2014 reported that 20 councillors were in arrears for more than 90 days with an amount totalling R70,542 and 139 ward committee members were in arrears for more than 90 days with an amount totalling R1,231,009, as well as 1456 employees in arrears for more than 90 days with an amount totalling R8,322,894.
“What is concerning is that there appears to be a double standard, the employees who are in arrears have up to 25 per cent deducted from their salaries every month, and that is shown in the reports where, although there are more employees in default, the amount owed is being reduced.
However there is no such mechanism for councillors and ward committee members. It appears that nothing is being done to reduce this debt or disciplining the errant councillors and ward committee members.
“As councillors we should be held to a higher standard with a zero tolerance policy. Another question you have to ask is why do these councillors and ward committee members still have services because any resident would have been disconnected after one month,” said Crouch.
