Municipal Special Administrators have been urged to prepare their respective council annual reports by the end of this year.

Minister for Local Government Premila Kumar has challenged respective administrators to ensure that this eventuates as some councils have not submitted an annual report in years.

At a Special Administrators forum yesterday afternoon, Kumar stressed that their main strategic priority is to make municipal councils financially sustainable.

“I therefore look forward to examining your Outstanding Rates Collection Strategy as all 13 Municipal Councils have large amounts of outstanding rates. Leading the pack is Suva followed by Nasinu then we have Lautoka and Nausori. So I’d like to see what strategies you’ll put in place so that you’ll recover every cent.”

Kumar also encouraged Special Administrators to get their council staff thinking about how to generate income from resources such as prime property, parking space, parks, office, or meeting halls, in order to move towards financial sustainability.

The Minister advised administrators to help their residents understand that financially healthy councils will be best placed to improve and expand services, modernize amenities, and build new facilities that will benefit all.