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CMC passes surplus budget; Mayor spells out 2019 programme
View(s):The Colombo Municipal Council’s 2019 budget was passed at the council meeting this week — and it showed a surplus.
The expected revenue for 2019 stood at Rs.16.9 billion while the expenditure was Rs. 597,000 short of that figure, indicating a surplus.
Addressing the council session, Mayor Rosy Senanayake said the council’s main challenge was to collect the arrears due from ratepayers. “We would lay down a mechanism to collect these arrears in a fair manner through concessions and negotiations,” she said.
The mayor said she had instructed that the arrears be collected without instituting legal action which might disrupt business activities.
She said another important area is the city’s drainage system which dates back to the colonial era. For this purpose, the council has allocated Rs. 372 million in its budget.
The mayor said the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank had agreed to finance new infrastructure development projects.
Another key feature in the budget was the enhanced allocation for social development projects which would include the setting up of a centre to rehabilitate victims of drug addiction and the implementation of the Early Childhood Development programme with the participation of the UNICEF, she said