Business

PAC urges councils to adopt OMRS

January 23, 2020 12:45 pm

PAC Chair, Alvick Maharaj says this week reviewing the consolidated audited accounts of four municipal councils has revealed that there is a need to ensure they hire qualified staff.

The Public Accounts Committee is urging municipal councils to adopt a new recruitment system.

PAC Chair, Alvick Maharaj says this week reviewing the consolidated audited accounts of four municipal councils has revealed that there is a need to ensure they hire qualified staff.

Maharaj says the committee has seen repeatedly that the council is having to train unqualified staff, affecting their already strained operational budget in addition to experiencing incompetent financial management.

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“One of the things that we have actually found out in general and not just specific with Ba, it’s also applied in Rakiraki as well is Open Merit Recruitment System, OMRS. It’s very important that municipal councils, they need to actually adopt this system in order to bring in capable people, in capable positions.”

This week, PAC is overseeing the consolidated accounts from 2014 to 2017 for the Sigatoka, Ba, Rakiraki and Labasa town councils.

Among the other challenges highlighted for councils is the need for a digital financial management system, a comprehensive review of rates and levies and innovative revenue initiatives to name a few.