Community members are called upon to help shape the short-term future of their suburbs.
The City of Johannesburg is holding its Integrated Development Plan(IDP) meetings to identify the most pressing issues within its administrative jurisdiction. Roodepoort City City Hall will be the venue for the Region C meeting to be held on Saturday, April 1 from 14:00. To enable everyone access to the platform, the meeting will offer online access enabling residents to participate remotely.
The IDP meetings kick-start a collaboration with the City of Johannesburg, who, following the meetings, prioritise the issues requiring the most attention. The budget is then allocated to the priority projects and that draft is sent to City Council for further debate and approval. Once formally adopted, the IDP becomes the guiding document for the City of Johannesburg administrators
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All wards within Roodepoort will be represented and the IDP plays important role in placing concerns on the record so that the City of Johannesburg can be held accountable in the years that follow. Several ward councillors took the opportunity to state why the IDP participation by residents is so important:
Ward 71 councillor, Rene Benjamin said:
“I encourage all residents to participate by either attending in person or virtually or by sending your comment via the various options. The IDP informs the Mayor and the Executive of the City what the needs are of the residents for budgeting purposes and allocation of funds to the entities for services. This is your chance to voice your concerns about tariff increases, and the lack of resources for entities to do service delivery as well as request community improvement. Let your voice be heard.”
Dr Florence Roberts, Ward 83 councillor noted:
“Every 5 years the residents have an opportunity to actively participate and inform the City of Johannesburg’s five-year development plan for the municipality. Your input is valuable and will inform the City’s plan to improve the quality of life for all the people living in an area. Our Ward 83 needs to clearly outline and articulate what we need. I encourage our residents to set time aside to participate and take a positive mindset with a view to a brighter future.”
Ward 85 councillor, Zoné Hughes said:
“I want to motivate residents to attend as this is where they will get the chance to give input into the budget allocation to help uplift their areas.”
Ward 89 councillor and former Member of the Mayoral Committee, Leah Knott stated:
“I’d like to stress the importance of residents participating in this IDP meeting as it has a direct impact on the rates and service tariffs they will be charged from 1 July 2023. There are some steep increases proposed by the current administration and every resident must give their input. The continuous upward trend of service charges is not sustainable and the city should also be putting effort into conserving funds as opposed to the current careless spending. City Council should be optimising alternative income revenues, not placing the entire burden on its citizens.”
The IDP meeting is scheduled to begin at 14:00 on Saturday, April 1 at Roodepoort City Hall. Links for the online meeting can be acquired via your ward councillor or from the following PDF. Questions can also be sent in advance using the following link.
https://share.hsforms.com/1MtZNRpjySKu4_SFH9lfogA469tl
