Municipal Finance Management Bill: voting

Meeting report

FINANCE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
3 September 2003
MUNICIPAL FINANCE MANAGEMENT BILL: DELIBERATIONS

Chairperson: Ms Hogan (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Draft 2 September 2003: Municipal Finance Management Bill
Municipal Finance Management Bill: final version to be presented to National Assembly on 11 September 2003

SUMMARY
The Committee considered the final amendments and then adopted the Municipal Finance Management Bill after 20 months of deliberations and re-drafting.

MINUTES
The National Treasury made the following amendments during this meeting:

Clause 83(2) should state: Municipality must for the purposes of this section, provide for the regular training of officials in the required competencies and National Treasury will assist in this regard.

Delete Clause 83(3) and (4).

Delete Clause 20(b)(iv).

Clause 33: Leave it as it is.

Clause 43(1): Might have to take out the referral to Clause 46.

Clause 43(3): Treasury to check with Adv Grove whether this section should refer to escalation of "tariffs" or "taxes" as opposed to "payments".

Unsolicited Bids. Proposal agreed to. May have this as a completely separate clause. Treasury will check with Adv Grove about the wording of the proposed amendment regarding unsolicited bids.

Clause 115(3) should state: A contract procured may be amended by the parties but only after the reasons for the proposed amendment have been tabled in the Council and, the local community has been given reasonable notice…and has been invited to submit representations…

Clause 115(4): Delete.

Clause 118: Take out similar provisions as discussed before.

Clause 164(3): Remove the words "but only" and "more".

Clause 177(2)(c) should be amended to read (Treasury will check wording with Adv Grove): All existing contracts above an annual value of one million Rand as of a certain date, and which will extend beyond January 2007, together with any information on those bids as may be prescribed.

Discussion
Mr Durr (ACDP) queried the clarity of Clause 112(3)b.

Mr Momoniat (Deputy Director-General, Treasury) agreed that it was unclear.

Ms Hogan wondered whether this clause was necessary.

Ms Mabe (ANC) recommended deleting 112(3)(b) and (c) and the Committee agreed.

Voting on the Bill
The Committee agreed to the Bill. It was also agreed to present the final redraft of the Bill to the National Assembly.