ALBERTON – The Ekurhuleni budget for 2015/2016 was approved at a special council meeting on May 28. Members from several different political parties welcomed the Ekurhuleni budget also known as the Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework that was tabled by the MMC for Finance Moses Makwakwa under the leadership of the honourable executive mayor, councillor Mondli Gungubele.
It is however important that ratepayers receive the assurance that this budget is a budget of the people. The approved budget will now be implemented on July 1 and unlock the new basket of municipal services and social benefits for our community. The mayor set the tone of the Ekurhuleni service delivery target and budget deliverables during his State of the City Address in March 2015.
Ekurhuleni delivered a well-balanced budget that meets the needs of our community by continuing with the mayoral theme, ‘Strengthening social maturity by advancing social cohesiveness in pursuit of a prosperous City’. All the Oversight Committees of council gave input and participated in the IDP/Budget process before it was presented to communities across the length and breadth of the city. The draft budget was available for public comment and community input until April 30.
Various different comments were received and communities provided their input on the budget, which was captured by the finance department and included in the final budget. The CFO will also appear before the Finance Oversight Committee to give verbal responses to the committee regarding budget process. During this meeting the department also has to submit written responses to the oversight committee, on the public participation process to inform the committee on how questions raised by the community, were addressed and included in the final budget document.
The whole process is designed to ensure that the budget represent the needs of our community and address the concerns of our people. There is no such thing as a perfect budget and in future we will refine the new budget cycle, to ensure our budget remain vibrant and responsive to the needs of our people and all residents of Ekurhuleni. Our job will continue on 1 July 2015 with the next budget cycle to ensure we constantly improve on meeting our mandate of moving Ekurhuleni forward by creating a better life for all
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