BY SIMON NDIVE KALLA
– Unveils slogan of “Building Together”
– FCFA 8 billion budget adopted for 2022
– Council to engage in forceful recovery of revenue to balance the books
– SDO cautions dissenters throwing threats around
The Limbe City Council long overdue budgetary session for 2022 which ran into the administrative, management and stores accounts session for 2021 was expected to be the first major litmust test for the new city mayor, Paul Efome L. M. Ngale.
To all intents and purposes the mayor passed the test brilliantly, effortlessly presiding the two-in-one session with little or no hitches. He showed calmness for a new comer.
In the end the two sessions combined into one took lesser time to conclude than a single session previously.
The worrying issue in the two sessions was the city council’s precarious financial situation with accrued salaries and rising debts to suppliers and contractors. To this end, the Limbe City Council will engage into forceful recovery of revenue most especially in the building permit sector.
According to City Mayor, Paul Efome, an exhaustive inventory and control will certainly salvage the financial situation of the council.
This was disclosed by the Limbe City Mayor, Paul Efome L. M. Ngale on Thursday, April 21, 2022 during the examination and adoption of the 2022 draft budget and 2021 administrative, management and stores accounts. The session took place at the LCC deliberating chamber, Bota.
He added that new sources of revenue have been identified and they shall therefore exploit them to the maximum. The city mayor called on the city dwellers and stakeholders to denounce all forms of urban disorder acts within the municipality.
FCFA 8 billion budget for 2022
Presenting the budget, the City Mayor said the draft budget of LCC for 2022 financial year is balanced both in revenue and expenditure at the sum of FCFA 8 billion, witnessing a decrease of 5.88% from that of 2021 which stood at FCFA 8.5 billion. City Mayor Paul Efome, explained that the decrease in the budget is principally meant to stabilise the unfavourable financial situation of the City council.
Revenue in 2020 stood at FCFA 9,571,837 which has been brought forward to 2022 financial year as reserves for operations. Meanwhile expenditure has been estimated at FCFA 8 billion.
He explained that the 2022 draft budget will enable the council construct more commercial buildings, elaborate the City Council urban development master plan to align with national development strategic plan 2020-2030, carry out studies for income generating and development project, maintain and extend streetlight network, improve on community water supply networks as well as clearing the huge debt portfolio of Limbe city council.
Citing some action plans for 2021, the city mayor said the action plan realised expenditure of FCFA 103,575,244 making 8% of the expenditure as follows, maintenance of water and electricity networks, maintenance and extension of street lighting in the municipality, maintenance of road network, subsidies to schools, grants to sport associations among others.
“Our slogan and watchword for the rest of this mandate and beyond will be “Building Together”. Municipal Development is team work and requires the active participation of all community members, stakeholders and partners,”
“It is therefore time to return to the drawing board and put our hands on deck to continue the collective participation to develop Limbe municipality. ‘Building Together’ means: building peace; building love; building trust; building our community; building our city,” Paul Efome said.
On his part, the SDO for Fako, Engamba Emmanuel Ledoux congratulated the senior councilors for a fruitful session and urged them to get to work immediately so as to achieve their goals for 2022.
He said the councillors need to be creative in raising money for the municipality because the present situation in the Anglophone regions makes revenue collection difficult due to financial constraints.
The SDO, however, cautioned those dissenting voices in the council who have been through threatening messages around especially in the media.
After debate of deliberations presented, the budget was unanimously adopted by the Councilors and a motion of support was equally addressed to the head of state president Paul Biya for his good stewardship.
Paul Efome E.L Ngale thanked the councilors, LCC partners, stakeholders, business men and women who stood by the council in their onerous journey of transforming the municipality.