SANNIQUELLIE, February 23 (LINA) - Nimba County has prioritized road rehabilitation in its 2014/2015 fiscal budget, allocating US$1.7 million to upgrade feeder roads and reconstruct bridges.

The 125 delegates selected from diverse backgrounds to attend the County Council Sitting voted unanimously Sunday night at the Superintendent Compound in Sanniquellie to adopt the County’s annual budget in a tone of US$3.6 million of the accrued US$6 million in the county's coffers.

The budget contains components covering education at US$260,000; Health US$20,000; Sports US$356,000; women, youth and the physically challenged persons US$71,000 and administration, monitoring and implementation of projects US$394,852.
 

Besides, projects categorized under direct benefits of 20 percent from the County’s coffers to the most affected communities got an appropriation of US$780,000.

Nimba County gets its annual income from BHP Billiton and Arcelor Mittal-Liberia social corporate contributions to the county in the tone of US$200,000 and US$1.5 million respectively under the Social Development Fund.
 
The county also benefits from the National budget in the amount of US$200,000 for the County Development Fund.

The last County Council Sitting, the highest decision-making body on the development funds, took place in 2012 and budgeted US$2.8 million for projects which are largely unfinished.

But Senator Thomas Grupee, who is Chairman of the Legislative Caucus, told the delegates that “All appropriations done in 2012 and 2015 are effective; as soon as, the national government gives back what it owes to our County.”
LINA