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Gweru City Council House

Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
GWERU City Council is still to rationalise salaries for top management as well as implement the 70:30 percent ratio directive on service delivery and salaries.

In this regard, the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing is still to approve the local authority’s 2015 budget.

The council unveiled a $31 million budget for 2015, an increase from last year’s $24 million, with a proposal to increase tariffs by 35 percent across the board.

Three months into the year, the budget is yet to be approved with impeccable sources attributing the development to poor performance by the local authority in terms of service delivery and meeting financial targets.

Sources at Town House said one of the conditions for the budget to be approved was adjusting the town clerk’s (Daniel Matawu) salary from about $6,000 to a maximum of $4,500 per month.

“At the same time the wage bill stands at $888,000 — about 72 percent of council’s monthly income which is more than the 30 percent revenue and 70 percent service delivery ratio. Council hasn’t ratified the directive and wants to introduce it in 2016,” said a source.

Responding to questions from Business Chronicle, the council’s finance chairperson Councillor Albert Chirau confirmed that the 2015 budget had not been approved.

He said council was still operating on last year’s budget.

Clr Chirau said council was now three months behind in revenue collection due to delays in approval of the budget by government.

“We’ve failed to implement the 2015 budget meaning we’re three months behind.

“Instead of the $33 million we budgeted for, we should revise it to $30 million since ratepayers are still paying for water and rates using last year’s budget,” he said.

Clr Chirau said council had made submissions that it would implement the 70:30 percent ratio on service delivery and salaries in 2016.

“That’s our aim but we’re told by the ministry that we should implement it now. So, we’re engaging the ministry on the way forward . . . ,” he said.

Residents, through the Gweru Agenda, the Gweru Residents Association, Gweru United Residents Association and Ratepayers Association have written a petition to council objecting to the proposed increases.

However, the local authority has disregarded the petition arguing that it had done conclusive consultative meetings with all the ratepayers including industry on the proposed tariff increase with no objections raised.