April 9, 2003
By Tendai Dhliwayo
THE City of Johannesburg is calling on residents to give suggestions on what they would like to hear in the budget speech that the executive mayor, Amos Masondo, will deliver on 28 May.
Plans that the City has for the next financial year of 2003/04 include key delivery areas, the capital investment plan and tariffs.
The key delivery areas, derived from the six mayoral priorities, are economic development and job creation, improving public safety, good governance, service delivery and customer care, inner city regeneration and HIV/Aids.
Proposed budget allocations
On its capital investment plan, the City plans to allocate the following amounts to a number of areas:
- Development of parks, environmental areas and cemeteries - R16.5 million;
- Key projects such as Constitution Hill, Braamfontein regeneration, Kliptown and Drill Hall - R60 million;
- Upgrading and development of waste facilities - R14.2 million;
- Expansion of camera surveillance (CCTV) - R8 million;
- Water and sewage-related projects - R63.7 million;
- Roads upgrading and construction programme - R102.8 million;
- Electricity projects and programmes -R83.8 million.
- Upgrading and development of community facilities such as the upgrading of the Hillbrow library, the Protea South Clinic and the Poortjie library - R10.9 million
- Clinic upgrading programmes - R5 million
Tariff hikes
The City of Johannesburg plans to increase tariffs on electricity, water and sanitation for the 2003/4 financial year.
According to the City, the key factors that were taken into consideration in proposing the increases are inflation, national government policy decisions, external factors as well as high increases in tariffs passed on to the City by suppliers such as Eskom, The proposed hikes are:
- Electricity - 13%
- Water - 10%
- Refuse removal - 10%
- Assessment rates - 13%
- Sanitation - 10%
- Minor tariffs - 10%
Also proposed, is an increase in the City's social spending package from the current R335 million to R400 million for the 2003/4 financial year. The social package includes a 100% rebate on properties where land value is less than R20 000.
This means for example that the majority of the residents in Soweto, Alexandra, Ivory Park, Orange Farm, Eldorado Park, Bosmont, Lenasia South and other similar areas do not have to pay for assessment rates.
