The Sunday News
Sharon Chimenya, Masvingo Correspondent
MASVINGO City Council has proposed a 100 percent increase for service charges for next year.
Masvingo Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said the local authority’s 2022 budget priorities are drawn from council’s strategic plan 2021-2025 which feeds into the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
Council indicated that it will prioritise the provisions of improved water, sanitation and hygiene, improved corporate governance increased investment, improved access to social services, improved road trafficability, improved public safety and security, improved response time to emergencies and gender mainstreaming.
“In terms of service charges our charges will go up by 100 percent and this is due to the economic situation during this period and the situation from the previous year. At the meantime we are taking down inputs from the residents in terms of the major projects that we want to undertake and also proposals of the service charges,” he said.
The local authority has proposed that service charges for the high density water (0-5 m3) be raised from $540.00 to $1,080, sewerage from $405.47 to $810.94, refuse collection will go up from $712.80 to $1,425.60, supplementary charges will increase from $270.00 to $540.00, and the reintroduction of the public lighting levy at $180.00.
For the single accommodation water will go up from $270 to $540, sewerage will increase from $202.73 to $405.47, refuse collection will move from $356.40 to $712.80. The supplementary charges will be increased from $135 to $270 and the public lighting levy will be pegged at $90. The low and medium-density residential rates per rating unit will increase from $1,350 to $5,400.
Meanwhile, the Masvingo City is proposing $1,6 billion for its 2022 capital projects which include the water augmentation Phase 2 at $350 million and the Mucheke Trunk Sewer $100 million.
“In the next year’s budget we have a number of capital projects which include improvement in the water and sanitation. There is the water augmentation Phase 2 which is the construction of a duplicate water treatment plant and pipeline to ensure the city of adequate water for the residents and the industrial expansions.
We are looking forward to getting a long term loan. We are also looking at getting money for the completion of the Mucheke trunk sewer which will convey sewer from Mucheke and the fast growing Victoria Ranch Township,” he said.
