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In related news, Belize City’s municipal income has grown steadily over the past five years, increasing from just over twenty-three million dollars in 2020 to more than thirty-two million dollars in the last financial year. The improvement of collections were highlighted this week during a budget consultation meeting between the Council and Director of Local Government Clifford King along with officials from the Ministry’s caucus. During the presentation, councillors reviewed revenue collections, expenditure patterns and budget performance over the five-year period. It is a yearly exercise as explained by Director King.
Clifford King, Director of Local Government: “Belize City was on our schedule for last Friday and my team, myself and my local government officer and our chief executive officer, CEO Shall attended that session along with the Belize City Council Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors, and the city administrator and senior management. And we used that opportunity to have gone through the history of the council’s financial performance, revenue expenditure and then we looked at the budget of the council and what were some of those things that the council is intending to finance in the new fiscal year. Most of it recurring stuff and then of course there are some projects that the council continues to attempt to work on which includes primarily streets and drains. As the mayor reminded us there are about 750 streets to be paved in the city. And right now I think they are around 250. So there’s a lot of work left to be done in the city, which is a very long and incremental process. And everybody wants their street to be paved now. But when you look at the compliance level in the city in terms of the number of residents that are paying taxes, that even In this day and age, the number of residents who are saying “I’m not interested in paying residential garbage fees.” for example. So those things create financing gaps but the demand for services are extensive. And so we had a first-hand look, like we do every year. I believe this may be the second time that the CEO has been involved directly like this. But every year we get the full gamut of what the challenges are in terms of municipal government and governance and the dire and serious challenges that these councils go through to every day trying to meet the needs of residents. It’s quite a yeoman’s job. We’re often amazed with the lot that they do, the little that they get really.”
The council’s data showed that spending has gradually been brought closer in line with income, reducing deficits and in some years producing modest operating surpluses. Officials also noted that actual collections now more closely match what is projected in the budget, reflecting tighter financial management. The discussions form part of preparations for the 2026-2027 municipal budget, with Local Government emphasizing responsible planning before final approval. Following the financial review, the team also examined council priorities and visited several ongoing projects including the Student Hub, the eTransit Depot and the planned Southern Foreshore Floating Boardwalk. City Hall says the stronger revenue performance is intended to translate into improved infrastructure and services for residents across Belize City.
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