-Benita Freysen-
Op Donderdag, 4 September, het meneer Wellies Welgemoed van Akhile Konsultante die nuwe Belastingwet op Eiendom aan die gemeenskap van Prince Albert kom bekendstel.
Kennisgewings is vroegtydig per hand, in elke posbus en telefonies, aan die gemeenskap deurgegee om hierdie belang-rike vergadering by te woon. Die opkoms was egter uiters swak - belastingbetalers besef blykbaar nie hoe belangrik hierdie wet is nie. Dit raak elkeen wat ‘n eiendom besit en belasting aan die Munisipaliteit van Prince Albert betaal.
Die aanbieding was interessant en agtergrond oor die wet (en die toepassing daarvan) is deurgegee. Munisipaliteite se reg om belastings te hef, asook hul plig om dienste te lewer, is bespreek. Meneer Welgemoed het beklemtoon dat inkomste afkomstig van eiendomsbelasting ‘n kritieke bron van inkomste is.
Die belangrikste implikasie van die nuwe wet is dat eiendomsbelasting vanaf
1 Julie 2009 volgens markverwante waardasies bepaal sal word. “Mark-verwant“ beteken die prys wat ‘n vrywillige koper bereid sal wees om te betaal aan ‘n vrywillige verkoper van ‘n spesifieke eiendom.
Inligtingstukke is nog beskikbaar by die Tesourie-Afdeling van die Munisipaliteit, indien enigiemand sou belangstel.
NEW PROPERTY RATES ACT PRESENTED TO COMMUNITY
On Thursday, 4 September 2008, Mr Wellies Welgemoed of Akhile Consultants presented the new Property Rates Act (Act 4/2006) to the community of Prince Albert at a meeting in the VGK church hall. The Municipality informed the community well in advance of this important meeting by placing notices in every post box and through telephonic invitations. In spite of this, attendance was poor – clearly ratepayers do not realise the importance of this new Act, which affects everybody who owns property and pays rates to the Municipality of Prince Albert.
Mr Welgemoed’s presentation was informative and explained the background to the Act and its implementation. He also discussed the rights of municipalities to set and collect rates, as well as their duty to deliver efficient services. Mr Welgemoed emphasised that the proceeds derived from property rates represent a vital source of revenue for municipalities.
The most important change introduced by the new Act is that as of 1 July 2009, property rates will be determined by market-related evaluations. “Market-related” means the price that a willing buyer is prepared to pay a willing seller for a specific property.
Copies of the presentation are still available at the Treasury Department of the Municipality for those who are interested.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Nuwe Belastingwet op Eiendom Bekend Gestel
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Munisipale Nuus
‘n Klagte wat met tye ontvang word is probleme rakende die onbeheerde uitloop van gryswater.
Gryswater word deur sommige persone aangewend vir die natlei van bome en plante om sodoende water te bespaar. Dit dien egter vermeld te word dat die uitloop van gryswater ’n potensiële gesondheidsrisiko, asook reukoorlaste, kan meebring indien die uitlaat daarvan nie goed bestuur word nie en poelvorming, ens. gevolglik sou voorkom.
Inagenome die “uniekheid” van ons streek, plaas die Grondwet en toepaslike gesondheidswetgewing egter ’n verpligting op elke landsburger om ’n omgewing te skep, in stand te hou en te bevorder wat nie skadelik vir die gesondheid of algemene welsyn van die publiek is nie.
Prince Albert Munisipaliteit rig ‘n versoek dat indien daar wel van vermelde praktyke gebruik gemaak word, dit egter goed bestuur moet word om poelvorming te voorkom en die windrigtings, t.o.v. reukoorlaste, in gedagte gehou moet word.
U samewerking in die verband sal waardeer word.
Klagtes word met tye ontvang van hope tuinvullis wat in gemeenskappe voorkom. In sekere gevalle word tuinvullis gebruik vir die maak van kompos. Daar moet dan egter van korrekte komposteringspraktyke gebruik gemaak word en dit moet goed bestuur word.
Prince Albert Munisipaliteit is ten gunste van goedbestuurde komposteringspraktyke, maar nie ten opsigte van die ophoping van tuinvullis waar sodanige hope aanstootlik is, ‘n potensiële brandgevaar is of as broeiplek vir vektore / plaagdiere kan dien nie.
Die Grondwet en toepaslike gesondheidswetgewing plaas ’n verpligting op elke landsburger om ’n omgewing te skep, in stand te hou en te bevorder wat nie skadelik vir die gesondheid of algemene welsyn van die publiek is nie.
Om potensiële oorlaste en gevare te voorkom, versoek die Raad dat tuinvullis wat nie gebruik word vir kompostering nie, na die munisipale stortingsterrein verwyder moet word waar dit op ‘n geskikte area gestort moet word.
U samewerking in die verband sal waardeer word.
Verskeie klagtes is die afgelope tyd ontvang vanaf ongelukkige inwoners. Hulle kla dat omliggende inwoners vullis en buitebande onwettig brand steek binne hul erwe. Dit veroorsaak baie rook en is onaanvaarbaar vir die gemeenskap, aangesien dit ook hul gesondheid mag beïnvloed.
Hierdie verbranding van vullis en buitebande in die woonbuurte, asook deur die publiek op die vullisstortingsterrein, is vir Prince Albert Munisipaliteit ‘n groot bekommernis. Die rook skei giftige gasse af wat baie skadelik mag wees vir persone wat dit gereeld of in groot hoeveelhede inneem. Verder veroorsaak dit ook “Green House”-gasse wat skadelik is vir die omgewing en globale aardverwarming (Global Warming) aanhelp.
Prince Albert Munisipaliteit vra asb. alle inwoners se samewerking in die verband. Indien u bewus is van enige persone wat hul nogtans skuldig maak hieraan, kan u die Munisipale kantoor kontak, waarna die saak opgevolg sal word en ooreenkomstig opgetree sal word, indien nodig.
Kom ons werk almal saam om te verseker dat almal in ‘n gesonde, skoon en veilige omgewing lewe! Nou en ook in die toekoms!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
MUNISIPALE NUUS - MUNICIPAL NEWS
Die volgende personeellede het in Mei 2008 diens aanvaar by Prins Albert Munisipaliteit:
Riool Afdeling:
Reginald Romp,
Apools Moos
Sanitasie Afdeling:
Bazil Tolken
Kantoor Skoonmaker:
Audrey van der Ross
Biblioteek Asst. Aflos / Skoonmaker: Jeanetta Jacobs
Personeel en Raadslede van Sentraal Karoo Distriksmunisipaliteit, Beaufort-Wes Munisipaliteit en Laingsburg Munisipaliteit het ook die opleiding voltooi.
Die Opleiding is aangebied deur die Firma Africa Competency Development en die Lektrise was Me. Carolyn Ryan van Kaapstad.
Prins Albert Munisipaliteit is verteenwoordig deur die Wnde. Burgemeester (Raadslid Magdalena Benjamin, twee Vakbonde, IMATU (Eslein Kammies) en SAMWU (Attieen Arendse en Merlyn Deelman) en die Sekretaresse (Mej Karin van der Mescht).
Mej van der Mescht tree tans op as Skills Development Facilitator vir die Munisipaliteit.
Die Noodsaaklikheid van opleiding vir die werkers is baie sterk beklemtoon tydens die Opleiding. Goed opgeleide en gekwalifiseerde werkers verbeter dienslewering by Organisasies en die Werknemer se produktiwiteit en selfbeeld word ook in die proses verbeter.
Werkgewers moet hul Werknemers motiveer om hulself te bemagtig deur opleiding om sodoende bevorderingsmoontlikhede in die werksplek te bewerkstellig.
Monday, March 31, 2008
A Man(ager) with a Mission
- Linda Jaquet -
Dawid Rossouw, who served as Mayor of Prince Albert for 11 years until the local government elections in 2006, has been appointed the town’s Acting Municipal Manager until the end of April.
The Friend interviewed him less than two weeks after he received an unexpected telephone call at the beginning of March, telling him that the Council had decided that they needed him to fill the position. For a man, who has been in retirement for the last two years, Dawid Rossouw looked quietly confident and at home in his office.
“The Council has mandated me to drive the process of appointing the new Municipal Manager and I am confident that this will be finalised by the end of March. Hopefully, the successful applicant can start work at the beginning of May.” he said. Prince Albert has been without a Municipal Manager for over a year. Rossouw explained: “As we speak, the consultant appointed by the Council is screening all applications and will draw up a shortlist of the most suitable candidates for interviewing. Recommendations will then be made to the Council, which will make its decision.”
Rossouw is also determined to resolve a number of issues that have been lying unattended to for several months. Some require the Council’s consideration, while others are decisions and policies that have simply been gathering dust in various pigeonholes in the Municipality and need to be implemented. These include approval of the appointment of an engineer to manage infrastructural projects for the next three years.
The Council also needs to reach urgent agreement with the Kweekvallei Irrigation Board on the laying of a pipeline to replace the furrow bringing water to the town, while the question of where the Sentech communications tower should be erected also has to be resolved. Sentech technology will enable the community of Prince Albert to access more SABC TV and radio channels. Rossouw also indicated that he was tackling the surveying and selling of plots in the industrial area in a transparent manner and wants the Council to look seriously at a proposal to reduce the use of electrical power by the town.
Rossouw clearly revels in the challenges of his position. He finds the work load heavier than when he was last in government and the expectations of service delivery a lot higher. He is working long hours and has hardly seen his wife, Jean, since his appointment. However, he says that he she knows that he can make a difference and he has her full support.
What does he regard as his most important achievement during his long tenure as Mayor? Rossouw pointed to his battle to ensure that Prince Albert remained a local municipality in its own right rather than being absorbed into Beaufort West. The deciding factor in Prince Albert’s favour, he said, was that the town’s finances were sound and sustainable. Laughing, he recalled a resident shaking his hand and commenting: “Jy is ‘n bul van ‘n man!”
“We were vindicated,” he says. “Prince Albert and Laingsburg are the only two Karoo municipalities that have shown economic growth in recent years. This is vital for service delivery and also explains why we attract newcomers who love the town as much as those who have lived here all their lives. They see the possibilities and bring with them their expertise and their skills.”
Rossouw felt that while residents were justified in getting irritated with some of the Municipality’s shortcomings, the appointment of a new Municipal Manager provided both the community and the Council with the ideal opportunity to develop a good relationship. When asked what message he would like to give residents, he said “Please offer your advice to the new Manager, share your knowledge and your passion for our town. After all, it is your town.”
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Munisipaliteit ontwikkel 10 industrieële erwe
- Denise Ohlson -
Volgens die waarnemende munisipale bestuurder Edwin September ontvang die Munisipaliteit van Prince Albert voortdurend klagtes van inwoners wat verontrief en benadeel word deur persone wat industrieële werk doen op residensiële erwe. Daar word met erns druk geplaas op die munisipaliteit om sy bywette toe te pas.
Gevolglik het die Raad besluit om tien ekstra industriële erwe beskikbaar te stel in die dorp se industriële gebied . Die landmeterpenne is in, die pad is gemaak, en die prioriteit is nou die water- en elektrisiteitsvoorsiening. Sodra die infrastruktuur afgehandel is, sal daar ‘n prysbepaling gemaak kan word.
Die erwe wissel in grootte tussen 500 en 1000 m² en die mikpunt is om die erwe so bekostigbaar moontlik te maak.
Die beskikbaarstelling van alternatiewe werkplek vir almal wat tans en in die toekoms industrie in die dorp wil bedryf, sal deur almal verwelkom word. Sodra die pryse en voorwaardes finaal bepaal is, sal die erwe aan die publiek te koop aangebied word.