Gallery Video
GEORGE NEWS & VIDEO - Smiles and relief flashed through Council on Monday, when the DA and opposition shook hands over R104-million.
With the adjustment budget for 2019/2020 on the agenda, the DA needed four votes to reach a quorum of 27 for the tabling of the item at a special council meeting.
The opposition was very willing to lend a hand, provided their wish list of projects was included. Four caucuses and several whip meetings later, the parties agreed, and the adjustment budget for the last term of the financial year was accepted. Under no illusion that all items on their list will be ticked before year-end, the opposition are content that it will at least be rolled over to the annual budget for 2020/2021, should financial and legal barriers or impediments prevent implementation.
The list
The items on the opposition's wish list include the upgrade and resealing of several roads: Conville / Parkdene Road, Rosemoor / Protea Park Road, Seaview, New Dawn Park, Old Thembalethu Road and Antelope Street in Delville Park.
Furthermore the upgrade and handover of the All Bricks hall to George Municipality; the cleaning of all wards (with additional staff); more products and facilities for soup kitchens; retainer walls at Mountain View Street in Touwsranten; the appointment of 40 to 50 law enforcement officials and the upgrading of Kekkel & Kraai Crèche in Borcherds and Zamxolo Crèche in Lawaaikamp.
Photo gallery: Special council meeting for adjustment budget
According to Virgill Gericke of the PBI, the R104-million is part of the current budget that was never utilised for service delivery. "Some of the moneys are grant funding, in other words subsidised funds for service delivery from the national government."
Watch a video below:
Coronavirus
DA Councillor Iona Kritzinger asked for better sanitation at the municipality, in the light of the dreaded coronavirus. She asked that special attention be given to the lifts. On a lighter note, Speaker Gerrit Pretorius said he now has an idea how to postpone the next meeting... "the coronavirus!"
Pretorius received a lot of criticism when the previous council meeting, at which the adjustment budget was supposed to serve, was cancelled on short notice.
Mayco reinstated
Acting Mayor Charlotte Clarke reinstated the mayoral committee (mayco) and made some changes to the article 80 committees and ad hoc committees on which three former DA councillors - Edmund Bussack, Dawid Willemse and Belrina Cornelius - served. The mayco positions of Bussack (Electrotechnical Services) and Willemse (Human Settlements) remain vacant for now.
Read details of the adjusted committees here.
All smiles: in front from left are Virgill Gericke (PBI), Nomawethu Jantjies-Gushman (ANC), Mercia Draghoender (Good Party), Wilbur Harris (Icosa) and Khumbulelo Mkhondo (AIC). At the back are ANC Councillors Tobeka Teyisi, Langa Langa, Phumela Nosana, Piet van der Hoven and Charlie Williams.
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