The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Tano South, Emmanuel Kwame Frimpong, has expressed deep concern over the municipality's sluggish internal revenue mobilisation, which he warns is stalling several locally initiated development projects and programmes.

Delivering his sessional address during the first ordinary meeting of the third session of the ninth assembly on Thursday, May 14, at Bechem, the MCE revealed that the assembly’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) performance has been abysmal.

As of March 31, the assembly had realised a meagre 22 per cent of its GH₵1.2 million target for the first quarter.

To salvage the fiscal deficit, the MCE announced that the municipal assembly has instituted stringent measures to ramp up collection.

He issued a stern warning to revenue collectors, stating that those who default on the mandated three-times-a-day collection routine will face penalties until monthly targets are met.

In tandem with enforcement, the assembly plans to roll out a refresher workshop to build the capacity of its revenue staff while simultaneously admonishing residents and business owners to pay their taxes and tolls promptly to avoid legal action.

In a related development, Mr Kwame Frimpong highlighted critical security and safety concerns in the municipality.

Key among them is the dangerous modification of tricycles, where operators have been removing the carrier buckets to transport heavy logs and wood.

This illegal practice has resulted in numerous preventable road accidents and fatalities across the municipality.

The MCE stressed that the assembly has strictly charged security personnel to arrest and prosecute culprits of these recalcitrant acts while urging riders to value their lives more than quick monetary gains.

The MCE also sounded an alarm over the sharp rise in the sale and abuse of illicit drugs among the youth, particularly within the capital, Bechem.

Describing the situation as "out of control," he noted that despite numerous police swoops intended to deter offenders, the menace continues to persist.

To combat this crisis, he urged security agencies to intensify their operations to clamp down on the illicit trade while tasking the municipal health directorate to organise a series of public forums to educate the populace on the devastating health and social implications of drug abuse.