Keetmans council budget down

THE Keetmanshoop Town Council will spend less this year after approving a decreased budget at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday last week.

The Council budget for 2009-2010 is N$38,8 million, down N$500 000 from 2008-2009 when the Karas regional capital’s budget was N$39,3 million. Keetmanshoop CEO Paul Vleermuis described the budget as ‘realistic’. ‘Actual revenue income figures guided the budgeting process,’ Vleermuis said. This year’s budget projected operational expenditure of N$33,5 million, reflecting a surplus of N$3,8 million. According to Vleermuis, the surplus money would be used to service long-standing Council debts. Keetmanshoop owes NamWater N$1 million, the Ministry of Local Government N$18 million, N$1,7 million to Nedbank, N$60 000 to the Auditor General, N$444 997 to the Karas Regional Council, N$2 million to the Build Together Housing Programme and N$122 791 to the City of Windhoek. The Council budgeted N$3 million for capital projects. Spending on personnel constitutes the bulk of expenditure, amounting to N$12,9 million or 36,61 per cent of estimated operational income. Keetmanshoop residents will soon start digging deeper in their pockets because the Council also approved tariff hikes at the meeting. The basic water tariff for residential plot owners has been upped from N$35 to N$40, while water units per cubic metre increased from N$9,46 to N$10,22. Sewerage tariffs for residential plot owners increased from N$36,75 to N$40, while tariffs for commercial plot owners went up from N$52,50 to N$56. Water is the Council’s main source of income, generating N$6,4 million in sales over the last nine months.The Council also approved increased prices on serviced plots, leasing of municipal houses, approval of building plans, hiring of council equipment, refuse removal, and other services.