The City of Johannesburg is encouraging ratepayers to be involved in the next Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which will be available for public scrutiny in April next year.
The IDP is a layout of the City’s future over the short, medium and long term. The five-year plan is drafted and reviewed in April every year. From this plan, the City’s spatial planning, disaster management, finances, performance targets and economic development is considered. The IDP also determines what the annual council budget will look like.
Through the IDP, ratepayers can voice their concerns and expectations of the budget and tariffs. The City’s spokesperson, Virgil James, explained that public participation is crucial with the IDP. “The City is not deciding what people need. People need to tell the City what they want,” he said.
James said the IDP is ultimately about improving the lives of people through projects and programmes. The annual budget and tariff increases to ratepayers are based on the guidelines provided by the IDP.
Residents can contact their ward councillors, who each set out their ward’s IDPs as well, to add their voice on important community matters that they feel need the City’s attention.
The draft IDP and Budget document will be available on the City’s website in April next year, after which residents have 30 days to submit written comment.
James said the City will place notices of the document beforehand. “In July, the new approved budget and tariffs are implemented.”
With the onset of each five-year term, the IDP is drafted. Herman Mashaba, who was voted mayor of the City in the hotly contested 2016 municipal elections, has made it a priority within each department to increase the City’s annual economic growth by 5 per cent at the end of his term in 2021.
“With the annual revision, not much changes on the IDP. But every five years, the IDP will reflect the ruling political party,” James added.
