PAY MORE IF YOU WANT THE JOB DONE

Request made by people living in Bay suburb due to increase in burglaries

Special ratings allow property owners to pay extra, and receive, extra services, if the council agrees

Kini Bay will be Nelson Mandela Bay’s next special ratings area, where property owners will pay additional rates for security or beach cleaning programmes, if the council agrees.

If approved before the end of June, it will take effect on July 1, along with the city’s 2019-20 budget.

Richmond Hill is the only other SRA in the metro, while plans to establish Central as an SRA are afoot.

A report to the joint mayoral and budget and treasury committee meeting, dated May 29, details how residents from the Kini Bay SRA committee applied in December for the area to be considered.

The joint mayoral and budget and treasury meeting was postponed last Wednesday and did not deliberate on the report.

It states, however, that there were concerns over the safety of residents in the area.

The application was submitted by Sean Jonker from the Kini Bay SRA committee.

SRAs are a relatively new approach toward urban renewal, which sees residents paying rates over and above their municipal rates which are collected, and the funds are administered by the people in the SRA through a Section 21 company.

In his application, Jonker said the police had done a a threat assessment for the area, which found that increased CCTV cameras were needed, as well as live CCTV monitoring in crimevulnerable and tourist areas.

“Even with the CCTV system in place, the issue of crime in the form of burglaries into homes has become a problem.”

The additional funds would also go towards the removal of alien vegetation, cleaning overgrown properties and beachfront cleaning.

Infrastructure upgrades to roads, parking areas and walkways to the beach were also in the pipeline, should the council approve the application.

The committee submitted a five-year business plan reflecting how the funds would be used for the improvement of the area to ensure that the income needed of R1.5-million is met.

It anticipates the SRA would make about R250,161 in year one – an amount it expects would increase annually.

Kini Bay SRA steering committee member Ian Moore said increasing security was the main objective, as the number of break-ins in the area had increased.

About 65% of residents agreed to the SRA, with 17 objections lodged.

Among those who objected is former public health acting executive director Tsietsie Mokonenyane and safety and security executive director Keith Meyer.

Two main concerns from residents was that that they were not given the opportunity to fully consider all avenues before the SRA application, and a lack of transparent communication.

Mokonenyane objected to the application due to the absence of a plan for the management of public open spaces and vegetation control.

SRAs are a relatively new approach toward urban renewal [in SA]