DEAR Editor:
The Umdoni council has advertised the draft 2019/20 IDP and Budget for public comment with the deadline being May 3, 2019. The proposal to extend the deadline was denied.
The DA caucus members are encouraging members of the public to note some important areas of concern and submit them as their own.
ALSO READ : Umdoni Municipality strives to improve services
Comments must be sent to customerservices@umdoni.gov.za by May 3, 2019.
Draft 2019/20 Integrated Development Plan (IDP)
Council resolutions to include previous IDP submissions in the final draft remain outstanding. They are essential to future service delivery needs in our towns and villages. The document must be amended to include the resolutions of the council.
The IDP Document is cluttered and unstructured. It does not constitute a development plan on which future budgets can be based. It needs to be simplified and rationalised and must include ward based planning.
Draft 2019/20 Budget
General comments
The 5.4% increase in rates and tariffs is rejected outright. Increase the income threshold for indigent households to R10 000 per month.Reduce the refuse tariff to a cost recovery basis for those households that pay for the service.
Apply rates on all “permission to occupy” properties with a market value exceeding R360 000.
Apply market-related rentals to all leased municipal properties with the provision for rental reductions in lieu of maintenance and management services rendered by the lessee. Conduct a cost vs benefit analysis on the driver’s licence and vehicle testing services to determine the feasibility of operating them as municipal services.
Fund the library services fully from the libraries grant. Place the clinics and IEC office under a lease at market-related rentals. Establish centralised depots for municipal works teams and plant. Enter into public-private-partnerships for the provision of services and management of public facilities and spaces.
Capital budget
Increase capital funding by R35-million from reserves for the rehabilitation of the worst roads, in an equitable way. Utilise the bulk of the funding provided for machinery, equipment and transport assets, to establish municipal depots that will house the planned “internal capacity for infrastructure maintenance”. Reduce the budget for the Mayor’s vehicle to R350 000 and sell the existing vehicle to defray costs. Motivate for funds to complete the construction of cell no2 at the landfill site.
Operating budget
Increase the streetlights maintenance provision to R5-million. Allocate R3-million for the provision of improved basic services for informal settlements.
Restructure the provision of verge maintenance, roads and stormwater maintenance, litter control, road marking and traffic signage; into area-based teams operating out of centralised local depots. Increase the slurry seal/ pothole patching/ stormwater maintenance provision to R 15-million and allocate to various wards, proportional to the roads and drainage systems in need of repair.
No increase in rates and refuse tariffs. Limit special programmes to sport, recreation, disability and the aged. Lease out or sell the residential properties owned by the municipality at market-related rates, to increase revenue and reduce costs. Lease out the management and maintenance of beach facilities.
Implement a clean-up and improvement project for the Umzinto CBD under the small-town improvements grant.
DA CAUCUS UMDONI
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
