By Bill W. Cooper
The Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) Mayor-designate, Robert S. Bestman, has decried the entity’s low budgetary allotment, with a call for an increase in the Corporation’s budget.
Bestman warned that the current budget of the PCC is insufficient to adequately address the enormous demands of the Municipality of Paynesville.
President Joseph Boakai, prior to his election victory, vowed to ensure the clearing and safety of every fabric of the Liberian society through his ARREST Agenda.
ARREST is the agronomy of ‘Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism.’
But contrary to this vision, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 draft budget submitted by the previous government allotted the PCC a total of US$481,000 out of the over US$600 million national envelope.
However, the draft budget has since been returned to the office of Joseph Boakai for recast, owing to the fact that the budget is his administration’s first of the six-year constitutional mandate.
Appearing for his confirmation hearing over the weekend, Bestman stressed said amount allotted is also insufficient for employees’ compensation.
According to him, Paynesville is the largest and most populated city, compared to Monrovia, and as such, it should be given more priority in terms of financial funding due to its population.
He said, “The latest census report had it that Paynesville has a population of over 700,000 inhabitants, compared to Monrovia’s over 150,000 inhabitants, making Paynesville the most populated.”
“In Planning and Budgeting, we do budgeting for people and, now that Paynesville has more people, most of the development resources should be directed to our corporation,” Bestman noted.
Meanwhile, Bestman has outlined seven priority areas his administration will consider when confirmed by the Senate and subsequently commissioned by President Joseph Boakai.
He promised to ensure there is clean water and sanitary environment to live and play, as well as give residents power back, create and maintain public spaces for all to enjoy.
Also, the PCC Mayor-designate assured of his administration’s commitment not to compromise inhabitants’ safety, which he said is important to a quality life and strong economic growth.
He emphasized, “We will achieve this through dedicated partnerships, technology, and investment in our safety and emergency services, and we will also be tough on crimes.”
“We will work hard and make every corner of Paynesville a place where residents have all the amenities that they need to live a quality life, with access to housing and job opportunities,” said Bestman.
He, at the same time, disclosed that it is key for Paynesville to be a center of clean honest government that puts residents first, spends money wisely, and is a pleasure to deal with.
“We must improve customer service and provide customers with services that meet their individual needs, and circumstances must be prioritized.
We also need to maximize our use of technology to empower residents and find solutions to our most pressing challenges,” Bestman added.
