– Deputy Mayor acknowledges Govt’s $1B input for 2009
YESTERDAY the M&CC hosted a press conference to present the Council’s 2010 Budget Estimates, totaling some $3.5 billion which, according to Deputy Mayor, Robert Williams, is approximately double the Council’s 2009 Budget. Allocations are proposed as follows: Town Clerk’s Department – $476,985,832; City Constabulary – $398,566,216; City Treasurer’s Department – $115,668,231; Public Health Department – 923,913,410; Solid Waste Management – $349,593,056; City Engineer’s Department – $1,119,348,470; Markets Department – $202,457,645, which totals $3,586,532,860.
Total revenue is estimated at $3,115,699,796, with a projected shortfall of $470,833,064.
Both Mayor Hamilton Green and Deputy Mayor Williams were loud in praise for the input and commitment to the lengthy and painstaking process of formulating the Budget, at great personal cost, of Chairman of the Implementation Committee, Mr. Keith Burrowes, who single-handedly put together the Budget, after consultations with municipality officials.
For the first time in the history of the Council, consideration is being given to in kind contribution, as a result of which the Budget now reflects the true costs for services rendered and monies provided by Central Government, which Deputy Mayor Robert Williams acknowledges approximates to $1 billion for 2009.
Also for the first time in the history of the Council the Budget included budgetary allocations based on specific measureable indicators and is more results-oriented, so the public could now measure the performance of the Municipality.
Non-core and heavily-subsidized activities have been determined in the Budget, which allows Council to monitor service-delivery areas, with monitoring being done on a monthly basis. Priority areas and emergency works have also been identified, with protocols guiding resource-allocation, which will enhance response-time in addressing emerging problems and enable corrective actions to be taken in a timely way.
The Budget Report is a comprehensive document that finely details methodologies for effectively addressing old and emerging issues and challenges, with delivery areas itemized and relevant costs factored in. Monies from a reserve fund will be budgeted to expedite incidents demanding emergency response.
The Chairman of the Implementation Committee felt it necessary to take charge of formulating the municipality Budget, which he considers a natural progression of a continuation of the reform process that was catalysed by the Burrowes Commission of Inquiry during its investigations into the working of the City Council, and the Budget reflects the recommendations that arose from these investigations.