19 Feb 2014

Lobatse Town Council (LTC) has approved P101.6 million as recurrent budget for the 2014/15 financial year.

Chairperson of the Finance and Works Committee, Cllr Zubeida Raphael, said the 2014/15 budget increased by 0.3 per cent compared to the 2013/14 one.

Ms Raphael said the main revenue generators for the Lobatse Town Council were rates and interests on deposits accounting for P4.9 million and P3.5 million respectively.

She said over the years, the council experienced little success in rates collection. She urged councilors to embark on a vigorous campaign to collect all outstanding rates payments. One of the challenges was that the council depended on government grants, and it must therefore explore other means of funding its budget.

She added that the Local Government Act of 2012 empowered local authorities to find other means of financing its budget. Ms Raphael said government’s decision to reduce fees for tender documents to promote small business would have negatively affect income received by council from sale of tender documents.

Councillors said the government should give the Lobatse Town Council permission to use the Old Lobatse Stadium to generate revenue. They called on the government to amend some laws to allow local authorities to set up their own sources of revenue. Ends