After holding 15 meetings across all the City of Johannesburg’s seven regions from January 14, officials believe they have gathered invaluable inputs to help craft a review of the Property Rates and Credit Control Debt Management policies.
Hundreds of residents made inputs at venues such as Midrand Fire Station, Marks Park, Roodepoort Civic Centre, Diepkloof Community Hall, Bramfisher Multipurpose Centre and Malboro Community Hall, among others.
The next meetings will be held on St Valentine’s Day, February 14 at Lenasia Civic Centre and the last one will be at Mondeor Recreational Centre from 6pm to 8pm on February 19.
City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance, Cllr Funzela Ngobeni, thanked all the residents who contributed towards the review and encouraged those who still have to attend the consultative meetings to do so in large numbers.
“The City of Johannesburg’s coalition government has prioritised consultation with key stakeholders and residents. Rates and Credit Control policies have a major bearing on residents’ budgets.
“We are thrilled at the number of people who managed to find time to help the City become more responsive to their needs,” said MMC Ngobeni.
Some of the issues raised by residents during the consultative meetings included:
• City’s valuations and how the values are calculated?
• Will property rates increase and how will it impact residents?
• Why sewerage is charged based on stand size and not consumption, which would benefit all residents and is practical?
• Pensioners’ rebates and how it will change and can’t a benefit be worked out that can benefit residents that don’t received any income when they retire?
• How do you value an agricultural property when it has no sewer, electricity or water connections to the property?
• City not providing feedback on queries/complaints logged, why not flag the query until resolved?
People attending were open to converse and eager to get the right information, asking question and positively participating in the opportunity to gain more information.
One of the residents, Anton Kruger, made a request for City to increase pre-termination days as most terminations occur on Friday where Monday becomes the third day, giving residents not enough time to organise and make the necessary payments.
City officials assured Kruger that his views will be taken into account during the policy review.
