Jordan will restructure its 328 municipalities in a bid to ease the local government bodies of more than 90 million dinars ($126.7 million) in debt, Municipal Affairs Minister Abdul Razzaq Tbeishat said in a statement published Thursday, July 5.
Tbeishat said the restructuring plan will dissolve 40 municipal service councils, whose members are elected, and replace the councils with governing bodies, in which half the representatives are appointed by the authorities.
Under the scheme, some municipalities will be merged together, while their total annual revenues, which fluctuate between 32-36 million dinars ($45-$50 million), will be raised to around 50 million dinars ($70 million), he said.
Tbeishat did not elaborate on how the additional revenue would be raised.
Tbeishat said the municipalities are straddled with huge debts totaling 64 million dinars ($90 million), in addition to 28 million dinars ($39 million) in uncollected fees from local residents.
He stressed, however, that none of the municipalities' 16,000 employees would be sacked. ― (AFP, Amman)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
