Chantelle Fourie-Shawe

Feature www.randburgsun.co.za Attend IDP meetings JOBURG – During the month of April, the City of Johannesburg has been embarking on a number of regional Integrated Development Plans (IDP) and budget community consultations. This is where the public can voice their thoughts and objections. During the month, both the proposed budget and IDP consultations will be open to extensive public comment in a bid to reflect a people’s budget and development plan. The City has arranged regional summit meetings from 18 until 25 April to close the public engagement process. Meetings Meetings per region: • D1 (Soweto) on 25 April from 9am until 1pm at the Protea South MPCC • D2 (Soweto) on 25 April from 3pm until 5pm at Diepkloof Hall • E (Sandton) on 22 April from 10am until 1pm at Central Johannesburg College • G (Lenasia, Ennerdale) on 22 April from 10am until 1pm at Fine Town MPPC. If you need more information about these meetings, contact your ward councillor. “The Draft 2017/18 Rates Policy, bylaws and tariffs have also been tabled in Council and are open for public comments,” the Johannesbrug Council Speaker Vasco Da Gama said. For residents to comment, you can send an email to Ratescomments@ joburg.org.za; TandisizweS@joburg. org.za;-by 7 May. Tracy Sischy ATTORNEYS • DIVORCES, Contracts • Civil litigation, Landlord/Tenant • LABOUR, Domestic violence • Debt recovery, ANC’s and Maintenance 40SC472975 4 We can help! - /- T&C Week ending 21 April, 2017 Find out exactly how the IDP is worked out Chantelle Fourie- JOBURG – City of Johannesburg councillors tabled the proposed budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the 2017/18 and- period respectively at a City Council meeting. 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 plan also determines what the annual City Council budget will look like. City spokesperson Virgil James said the IDP is 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 plan. Inspired by Mayor Herman Mashaba’s 10-point plan and willingness to grow the city’s economy by five per cent per year by the end of his term in 2021, the plan includes five key points. These are to grow the economy and create jobs; enhance the quality of life by improving services and taking care of the environment; advance pro-poor development that provides meaningful redress; build caring, safe and secure communities; and institute an honest, responsive and productive government. “Johannesburg has the potential to be a city of golden opportunities for all its residents but that potential is currently not being fully realised. The proposed budget reflects how this administration intends to use R56 billion to meet our residents’ clear demand for change within the city.” City of Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba. City’s budget – good news JOBURG – With Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meetings in full swing this month, the question of what it means and how it affects residents is under the spotlight. The IDP outlines the City of Johannesburg’s budget, and ultimately, projects and service delivery in communities. The new Democratic Alliance-led administration, with Herman Mashaba at the helm as mayor, has already seen an adjudicated budget approved in Council in February. De-allocations and re-allocations were made to make way for projects like no-joint cabling and repairing potholes with the Johannesburg Roads Agency. The adjustment allowed for more homeless shelters, extended public clinic hours and appointing more Metro police officers. But the adjustments in February could not be major, as per the Auditor General. This puts light on the annual budget, to come into effect on 1 July. Mashaba said the annual budget aims to ensure that a minimum of 60 per cent of the City’s capital expenditure is directed towards projects in tradit traditionally Vasco Da poo poor and Gama, City of uunderJohannesburg serviced speaker, announces communities, that the safety of all residents is prioritised, and that the City’s infrastructure challenges are addressed by moving towards 10 per cent expenditure on repairs and maintenance. Ideally, according to the National Treasury initiative called Municipal Money, for every R10 spent on building or replacing infrastructure, R0.80 should be spent every year on repairs and maintenance. Other changes • Improving sanitation in informal settlements increased from R6,9 million in the 2016/17 financial year to R30 million • Allocation of site and service upgrades in informal settlements increased from R10 million in the last budget to R30 million • Area cleaning in informal settlements increased from R134 million to R150 million • Allocations for police visibility in identified hotspots increased from R31 million to R131 million in the 2017/18 proposed budget. the ward committee results, which will be released in April along with IDP public participation meetings. Photo: File/Chantelle Fourie AUDIT flects t The IDP refl the needs of the whole City ANY TICKET ANY DAY! Ts & & Cs Cs apply apply Ts What are your needs? How it works The budget Th allows for a service delivery, serv addressing your addr needs Do you agree with the IDP, make comments before the final draft he annual budge The budget will reflect the approved IDP