Despite hosting three mines namely, Kansanshi, Kalumbila and Barrick, Solwezi Municipal Council has continued to face numerous challenges to raise funds to run its expenditure in 2015.
Surprisingly, the local authority has been purchasing expensive vehicles at the expense of service delivery a move that has angered most of the residents in the area.
Speaking during the presentation of the 2015 Budget Council, Acting Chief Accountant Frank Taima said the local authority has reduced its budget estimates from K114.3 million as approved in 2014 and has been reduced to K 84.1 Million due to their failure to collect revenue in 2014.
Taima announced that the council had a shortfall of K30.2 Million after failing to collect K77,013 million last year further adding that the local authority had only raised K37.287 by August this year with K 20 million coming from the mines through land rates.
“As a council last year we approved a total expenditure of K114.3 million but I wish to announce that the council has not managed to raise up to that amount hence we are reducing our expenditure to meet the revenue at hand,” Taima said.
“The reduction had been necessitated by the failure to meet the 2014 revenue expectations.”
Meanwhile, Council Director of Planning Noami Simwanza took a swipe at government employees occupying government property for not paying their rates.
“The 2014 budget does not correspond with what is on the ground in terms of revenue collection, most of the residential properties in the district are not captured on the valuation roll and as you may wish to know government buildings have not been paying rates for some time,” Simwanza said.
Some stakeholders have since urged the local authority to come with initiatives which will allow them maximise the collection of revenue.
“The problem with our council is they are so much interested in enriching themselves and not collecting revenue, look at this situation now? How much service will they deliver in 2015? This is unacceptable,” one resident said.
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