City wants N$40m for new offices

WINDHOEK City Councillors have set aside N$40 million over the coming two financial years to build new offices for the Municipality’s CEO Niilo Taapopi and for themselves.

In a draft capital budget presented to the Khomas Regional Council for consultation and input this week, the City of Windhoek has introduced a two-year rolling budget in order to make the capital budget more affordable, according to City fathers.The draft budget for 2011/12 and 2012/13 financial years is N$644,2 million and the lion’s share of N$404 million will be spent in the first year.The municipality plans to spend N$40 million on 20 new buses in the first year of the rolling budget to improve its public bus service and N$7 million over two years to upgrade the bus parking area. Around N$9 million had also been set aside over two years for a new fleet of vehicles.The council also aims to spend N$7,5 million each year over the next two years on the construction of low cost houses while N$24 million will go to individual housing loans.The proposed budget also includes N$14,5 million for a roof to the City Parkade while the Katutura Old Age Home will receive N$2 million and the multipurpose centre of older people also N$2 million.N$14,5 million had been set aside to develop the Kupferberg Landfill Site while N$21 million will go towards the tarring of roads in Katutura.Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, mayor Elaine Trepper said the N$300 million that the Ministry of Local Government has made available to the municipality does not form part of the capital budget.She said the municipality will not receive that amount in cash, but rather the Local Government Ministry will pay for infrastructure development projects which it undertakes in informal areas.The City Council said it had taken into account an inflation rate of 3,8 per cent and interest rate 9,75 per cent as well as expected increases from bulk suppliers NamWater and NamPower.NamWater has increased its tariff by 15 per cent while NamPower has requested 32 per cent.