NOW that the 2023 local authorities’ budgets have been approved by the Ministry of Local
Government and Public Works, residents and ratepayers deserve an improved service delivery.
The 92 urban and rural authorities met in Gweru last week where the Local Government Ministry
undertook a rigorous process of budget analysis and 88 budgets were approved.
Residents and ratepayers, though not happy with the new rates and tariffs, the ball is now in the
courts of the local authorities to offer quality services and implement revenue generation strategies
as stated in their budgets.
Most councils proposed standstill budgets while others hiked their tariffs after a relook of their
revenue sources, which have expanded as a result of the Rural District Councils Act, Urban Councils
Act or their by-laws.
A standstill budget will provide relief to residents and the business community.
Local authorities should henceforth think outside the box and focus on making their business units
viable rather than just collecting rates from residents. They should come up with by-laws that
support their budgets. Councils have been ordered to produce the by-laws by January 31.
In a nutshell, council business units should cushion ratepayers. It is time that councils come up with
viable projects that attract investment and create employment. By employment we mean proper
employment procedures and not that which is aligned to politics.
Many local authorities have found themselves in the red due to a bloated wage structure where
money for services has been diverted to salaries.
Moving with the modern trends, councils should upgrade their Enterprise Resource Programme
(ERPS) to the Local Authorities Digital Systems (LADS) platform in order to raise their revenue
collection capacities. Implementation of the ERPS will help councils run more effectively.
An improved service delivery by local authorities will also help the country attain Vision 2030 of an
empowered upper middle income society.
Residents feel short-changed as most councils have failed to provide water and some areas usually
go for months without getting the precious liquid on their taps. It is therefore prudent for councils to
invest more on water infrastructure to avoid outbreaks of waterborne diseases like cholera and
typhoid.
Councils should also take advantage of Devolution Funds to invest in water projects. They can also
use their own funds to complement Government if they want to do and complete their projects in
time.
On their part, councils should focus their development to cover every village in rural areas and every
neighbourhood in urban areas in order to ensure that no one or place is left behind.
On the other hand, ratepayers and other stakeholders should consciously support their councils by
paying their rates in time as well as coming up with ideas on how councils can improve service
delivery.
