Municipal Councils CEOs and Special Administrators have been urged to prioritize fieldwork over office-bound operations.

The call to action was emphasized by the Minister for Local Government, Maciu Nalumisa, during the ongoing Municipal Councils CEOs and Special Administrators Forum in Lautoka.

Nalumisa stresses that it’s imperative for councils to break away from the traditional practice of confining themselves to office spaces.

He says gone are those days where council CEOs or administrators just sit in the office the whole day.

“It’s a time for you to try and think things outside the box and make sure that we focus on our key services, but at the same time, we also not forget that we also are mandated to look at some of the social services that we need to provide to ratepayers.”

The forum, a platform for collaborative discourse and strategic planning, will delve into a spectrum of pertinent topics aimed at fostering innovation and addressing key challenges faced by municipal councils.

Among the key agenda items are discussions on Innovative Plans by the CEOs, highlighting strategies to streamline operations and optimize service delivery.

The forum will also scrutinize the Drainage and River Dredging Programme, and deliberate on the Local Government Elections Registration.