COUNCIL REJECTS RESIDENTS DEMANDS ON TARIFFS

Gweru City Council has said it will be ill-advised to adjust a 35 percent tariff increase in the 2015 budget as petitioned by residents saying the position was agreed by all stakeholders.

Gweru municipal offices

In December last year Gweru residents wrote to council opposing the 35 percent increase in tariffs for 2015, saying the local authority should maintain a standstill budget because of the harsh economic environment obtaining in the country.

The petition, signed by Gweru Residents Association, Gweru Ratepayers Association, Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association and Gweru Agenda, demanded that the council reverse the proposals.

“We the above listed organisations, executing a mandate bestowed on us by our membership, singularly and collectively reject the proposed 35 percent increase in tariffs in the Gweru Council Budget,” the petition reads.

“The proposed 35% increase in the budget is non-reflective of the obtaining macro-economic environment characterised by unemployment at over 90% rendering a significant lot of our membership unable to pay the increased tariffs.”

But minutes of a special council meeting dated 6 January 2015 and seen by newzimbabwe.com show council rejecting the petition arguing that those who wrote it (petition) were fully represented during consultative meetings on the budget.

“It would be ill-advised to adjust the agreed upon budget by all stakeholders outside consultation meetings,” part of the minutes read.

“Besides the groups raising the petition were fully represented at the stakeholder consultation meetings and they agreed with all other stakeholders.”- NEW ZIMBABWE