LAST year, Ekurhuleni's Executive Mayor Duma Nkosi introduced his Budget Tips campaign, in which the residents of Ekurhuleni were invited to forward their inputs and suggestions for spending priorities during the 2003/2004 Municipal Financial Year.

It is fast approaching Budget time and communities have again been invited to make suggestions during this year's campaign period, until 31 March, for the 2004/2005 Financial Year.

To provide residents with opportunity to provide input, Budget Tips forms can be completed and placed in boxes, which will be set up in Customer Care Centres across Ekurhuleni; or the tips can be emailed to budgettips@ekurhuleni.com; or submitted via the Budget Tips box on the Ekurhuleni website.

The issues raised via this process will be addressed in both the capital and operating budgets. Following the campaign, further inputs from the community will be most welcome and will be facilitated by means of the public participation processes during the 2004/2005 financial year.

During last year's campaign, valuable suggestions were received and impacted on the Budgeting process. The following main areas of concern were raised:

• The roads infrastructure must be upgraded;
• Risk of dolomite;
• Community based park maintenance;
• Improvement of revenue collection;
• Upgrading of recreational facilities;
• Increased amounts for bursaries;
• Streetlights;
• Increasing of security measures; and
• Health facilities.

The Executive Mayor eagerly awaits residents' inputs to this year's Budget, so as to ensure that municipal spending is directed where the need is greatest.

SOURCE: www.ekurhuleni.com