JOHANNESBURG – Johannesburg residents have been given the opportunity to author the City’s Property Rates Policy.
For the next few weeks, the City will be hosting a series of Property Rates Policy Review meetings in all regions, during which residents will have free rein to determine the content and character of the final document.
A number of meetings, part of the first round of a consultative process held in terms of the Municipal Property Rates Act 6 of 2004, have already been held in the various regions.
The second round of this public consultation process will take place in April and May, when the new proposals and feedback will be incorporated into the draft document and presented to the public for comment.
According to Stan Maphologela, spokesperson for the City’s Group Finance, the aim of this annual process is to ensure that residents’ views are heard and that the tariffs are equitable and affordable.
“The City reviews its Property Rates Policy on an annual basis with the purpose to determine categories of properties, which will then be rated according to a tariff,” says Maphologela.
He says the consultative process will culminate in the 2015-2016 Budget Speech to be delivered by Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance Cllr Geoffrey Makhubo later this year. “This is an important process through which the City encourages residents to participate to determine rates and taxes for the following financial year,” Cllr Makhubo says.
Ward 58 Cllr Sergio dos Santos encourages as many people as possible to attend these meetings to understand how the new rates policy will affect them.
The two meetings to be held in Region F on Thursday February 19 starting at 18:00 at Eureka House, on the corner of Marlborough and Rosettenville roads in Springfiled (Rosettenville), and the second date will be on Tuesday February 24 starting at 19:00 at the Mondeor Recreation Centre, on the corner of Daylesford and Columbine in Mondeor.
