THE Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown are getting ready to present their annual Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure to the citizenry of Georgetown by the end of January, 2017, Town Clerk Royston King has said.
The estimates were fully discussed by the finance committee, and full council, where senior officers presented their budgets and programmes of work for their respective departments and Sections, for 2017, King said in a statement.

The budget was finalised and approved by the full Council and signed by the City Treasurer Mr. Ron Mc Calmon. According to King, Finance Chairman, Councillor Oscar Clarke will present the budget to citizens at a special session as stipulated in the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01 section 155(2), which states that: “Copies of the estimates approved by the Council shall be submitted to the minister and copies shall be opened for public inspection.”

At the budget presentation, stakeholders including the private sector, Government and Non-Governmental Organisations, religious, social community leaders and citizens will be invited to participate in the session. Council’s budget for 2017, contemplates the following:

1. Regulatory reform: The introduction and implementation of new by-laws and upgrading of old ones.
2. Infrastructural reform
3. Substantial improvement in environmental and public health services, to local communities.
4. Capacity-building to improve required competencies of staff and to upgrade Council’s technological capabilities, to improve service delivery.
5. Good corporate governance and financial Management.
6. Green urban development.
Also, Council would be working with local communities to promote the concept of Green Communities, which includes: the implementation of an integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy in the city of Georgetown, King disclosed.