Swakopmunders face rate hikes

A ‘SMALL’ deficit of N$910 000 in the 2012/2013 operational budget has led to a request by Swakopmund Municipal Council’s Management Committee to propose an adjustment in tariffs.

“Our track record shows that in previous years Council managed to turn around the deficit into a surplus through savings and the generation of additional income,” said Vice Chairperson of the Council’s Management Committee, Rosalia Andreas-Naobes, during her budget speech at the end of April.A capital budget of N$212 million was tabled of which of N$126 million is allocated to continuous projects, while the remaining N$86 million will go for new projects.The proposed new tariffs for the financial year of 2012/2013 includes a 7,5 per cent hike in assessment rates; water (5 per cent minimum to 7,5 per cent maximum use); refuse removal (10 per cent); sewerage (20 per cent); tourism (10 per cent); and cemeteries (10 per cent).An amount of N$4,5 million in respect of the operational costs of the new sewerage plant will be funded from the surplus funds.The town’s council announced a surplus of N$14,8 million in operational savings at the end of March – as part of a clean audit by Auditor General, Junias Kandjeke’s. Swakopmund boasts a clean audit for 24 years in a row – a feat unrivalled by any other town in Namibia.Some of the projects from the the strategic plan, which will receive capital funds include the formalisation of the Democratic Resettlement Community or DRC (N$8,2 million); servicing of land (N$5,1 million); maintenance and surfacing of streets (N$15,5 million); refuse and waste services (N$7,5 million); a new 10 000 cubic metre reservoir (N$15 million).To ensure that the high level of services is maintained, the town has a Long Term Strategic Plan in place which is applied in an annual program to ensure the full implementation thereof.The commissioning of the new sewerage plant is envisaged for January 2013. Besides the N$4,8 million from the surplus for running costs for the last six months of the financial year, council provided N$10 million to complete the project. Although the running costs will come from the surplus, a 20 per cent increase in sewerage service is “inevitable” according to Andreas-Naobes.This means that consumers will pay N$12 to N$14 more for this service.“We hope with the commissioning of the new plant we will be able to provide sufficient quantities of purified effluent to develop many public open spaces in town in the new future. More importantly, we trust that the quality of the water will be in accordance with the set standards which will result in the obnoxious smell to be a matter of the past,” she said.