As the first half of the current financial year nears, the City of Johannesburg has been going back to communities to give an overview of how their input has been integrated into the budget – and asked what they can change.
The City, like all municipalities, can adjust the budget mid-year. This means that in February, the council can approve a slightly adjusted budget. For this reason, the City said, it wanted input from residents to find out if there are any drastic changes currently needed.
During the first round of Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meetings earlier this year, residents initially gave input. Most wanted projects to kickstart in their wards or more funds allocated to certain departments.
During the current IDP feedback sessions, residents check whether the City took their inputs into consideration.
Region B’s feedback session at Marks Park attracted a number of residents. The MMC for Shared and Corporate Services, Valencia Khumalo, spoke about the projects that have been implemented.
She said that some projects have not been allocated a budget while others were not included at all. This, she said, is because of budget constraints and a matter of priority.
The biggest challenge was to find a balance between the greater good of the City and community-specific needs.
“We face many challenges, but we have made great strides as well,” Khumalo said, adding, “The City’s goals, among others, are to spend 60 per cent of the capital expenditure budget in poor areas and progressively make allocations towards a ten per cent spend [of the CapEx budget] on repairs and maintenance.”
The biggest concerns for the City is currently the R170 billion infrastructure backlog and catering towards the needs of a monthly influx of 3 000 people. This adds to the housing crisis, slow economic growth, safety and the need to revitalise the inner city.
Projects in Region B:
Important projects that have been given a budget are the Randburg CBD renewal projects, completion of the Westdene Dam precinct, new service connection projects, new stormwater catchments, a new clinic in Rosebank, Jan Smuts Avenue upgrades, the Roosevelt Park substation upgrade, Brixton Library renewal and construction of numerous footways and kerbings.
The list of projects is much longer. If you want a complete list, contact your ward councillor for the information.
ALSO READ: Councillor’s Corner: Getting involved in the IDP
