Paying for their own meals

Madam – Mayor’s Proposal that Councillors pay for Meal at Year End Function.

We refer to the article that appeared in the Advertiser of 20 December 2013. While there could be merit in expecting councillors and officials to make a payment towards a year-end function, the character and eventual costs of such a function, could for the sake of the occassion be regarded as a council’s expense, and more particularly also if compared with the handing out of refreshments and food parcels during road shows.

We are however, in agreement with the concern expressed against arranging strategic workshops outside of town costing the ratepayers thousands of Rands, the last one held in Midrand, of all places. (It is worthy to note that Government also expressed its concern about a growing tedency to arrange workshops at expensive outside venues and not using local facilities at much lower costs).

This association has previously voiced its objection based on the fact that Newcastle has the facilities to accommodate such workshops, and the statement by the mayor that these excursions are essential and seen as a team building excercise is to say the least, utter nonsense.

Looking at the budget and adjustments budget, including the budget for the following year, as well as final figures for the past financial year, the statement that R30-million was saved from their efforts at such a workshop is just not true; it sounds very impressive but in fact, the real figures show very clearly that the mayor and his team are just not up to it to prepare a realistic budget.

At the last strategic workshop, the Operational Budget for 2012/2013 was increased by more than R36-million, yet by the end of the year the budget was underspent by more than R158-million.

Looking at a specific vote like Repairs and Maintenance, the original budget provided, which incidentally was below the national norm, was increased by more than R2.4-million at the Strategic Workshop, but the actual expenditure at the end of the year was almost R21-million below the adjustments budget.

It is obvious from these figures that council does not have the capacity to deal with this type of budget, yet the budget for 2013/2014 is a staggering R49-million higher than the amount approved under the adjustments budget.

By presenting budgets of this kind to the eventual detriment of the ratepayer and consumers, generally needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency in order to do justice to all the various awards that were presented to the mayor/municipality.

Newcastle Ratepayers’ Association.