Ekurhuleni’s Bridge the Gap: Get your say in the 2014/15 Budget
The drafting of a municipal budget is much like drafting you own household budget – you must just add six zero’s at the end of each line item.
The Executive Mayor Clr Mondli Gungubele has given the strategic direction during the State of the City Address two weeks ago, and now it is time for residents to tell Ekurhuleni how the budget must be spent in their wards to achieve this strategic objective.
The Draft IDP (Integrated Development Plan) and Budget or MTREF (Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework) will be tabled to communities across the city. Residents can now tell the mayor how they want to see the development in their own areas and on what the municipal budget must be spent. The Ekurhuleni Metro Council will hold the Integrated Development Plan and Budget meetings with all communities in the municipality’s 20 customer care areas. Meetings are driven with the principals of public participation and allowing residents to give input on the budget of their area.
This greatly enhances transparency and cultivate a spirit of inclusivety and social cohesion by delivering a budget of the people. Amongst the issues communities are expected to raise are the proposed new tariffs, the new valuation roll, credit control and indigent policies as well, as budget proposals related to capital projects across the City of Ekurhuleni.
Residents can use the meetings to give input to influence how development in their area should happen and which programmes must be funded out of the budget. This IDP is a process through which municipalities prepare a strategic development plan, which extends over a five year period. This then guides and informs all planning, budgeting, management and decision-making processes in the municipality.
Meetings will seek to achieve acceptability of the proposals by communities before the draft IDP and Budget will be approved by the Metro Council in May 2014. Residents and stakeholders from all communities can, from now until April 30, 2014, access the IDP and Budget documents, which are open for comment.
The Budget and IDP can also be viewed electronically via www.ekurhuleni.gov.za
Communities are encouraged to participate in the budget by providing comments and tips on the IDP and Budget. Comments can be filled in and dropped into Budget Tips boxes at public libraries and Customer Care Centers during office or email to budgettips@ekurhuleni.gov.za
