BUTTERWORTH – The Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) has put together an operating budget aimed at driving higher growth on the mainland for next year.
Seen as the poorer districts in Penang decades earlier, the Prai enclave, which comprises of Nibong Tebal, Kepala Batas, Bukit Mertajam and Butterworth, is witnessing strong growth, especially near Bukit Mertajam where the Batu Kawan Industrial Park is recording interest from investors in the manufacturing sector.
It is also home to cottage industries from food processing to furniture, car components and now hi-tech production through the setting up of the Penang Science Park and the Batu Kawan Industrial Park, while there is farming in Kepala Batas and Butterworth.
With growth comes higher expectations and for this MBSP has set up a budget designed to sustain the development rate while also placing emphasis on quality liveability.
Prai Lord Mayor Datuk Azhar Arshad, who is the MBSP president, said the budget was developed using the Gender Responsive and Participatory Budgeting (GRPB) approach.
“Under the 2024 Budget, MBSP places emphasis on improving MBSP’s services. The first core priority is creating a conducive environment. It gets the second-highest allocation of RM127.98 million. The second core priority is ensuring cleanliness, greenery and city safety. This is accorded the highest allocation of RM186.47 million.”
The third core priority focuses on community involvement for economic stimulus efforts.
An allocation of RM50.15 million will be set for initiatives aimed at stimulating the local economy through community engagement, Azhar told a media briefing here.
“The fourth core priority is to empower the delivery system services. It gets an allocation of RM13.89 million,” Azhar said.
MBSP’s projected expenses for 2024 amount to RM378.49 million against an estimated revenue of RM339.66 million.
This may result in a deficit budget of RM38.82 million for the upcoming year, but it is a loss which the council will absorb just as long as services are improved and living quality is maintained, said Azhar.
He said the revenue will come from taxation (RM243.26 million), non-taxation (RM84.89 million) and other receipts (RM11.50 million).
Azhar said that MBSP remains committed to controlling the deficit through prudent financial management, emphasising principles such as maximising value for expenditure, process automation and efficient financial management without compromising service quality.
MBSP has also allocated RM1.4 million for the maintenance of public markets and food complexes, electricity bills (RM2.45mil), water bills (RM1.73mil) and Indah Water Konsortium bills (RM390,000).
He also said RM300,000 had been allocated for road repairs.
“MBSP also has allocated RM1.3 million to install closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) and another RM1.25 million for CCTVs maintenance across Seberang Prai. The city council also has allocated RM2.2 million to convert all streetlights (under MBSP) in Seberang Prai from high-pressure sodium lights to light-emitting diodes (LEDs). This will reduce 60% of electricity consumption. Another RM2 million allocation is for the maintenance cost of streetlights.”
MBSP manages the biggest city council in the country in terms of area, measuring some 738 sq km. – The Vibes, September 17, 2023
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