New ratepayers alliance intends to pack a punch
REGIONAL - A powerful new ratepayers forum, the Garden Route Ratepayers Alliance, has been formed. The Garden Route RPA consists of 22 ratepayers associations, including the RPAs clustered around Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, George, Mossel Bay - and stretching all the way to Swellendam and Prince Albert.
The initial meeting was held in Knysna on 25 May and the second in George on 7 September.
"The objective of the alliance is to share information, best practices and examples of what is working well and what needs improvement in the governance of our towns,” said its chairperson, Steve Pattinson, who is also chairperson of the Plettenberg Bay Ratepayers Association.
"The combined strength of our memberships makes the organisation a formidable force in effecting change. Our towns are faced with similar, if not identical issues, and we need to open channels of communication in order to share experiences, knowledge and solutions. It will allow the associations to present a united front when having to deal with government at the district, provincial and national levels."
George ratepayer Dennis Farrel, who recently conducted research on the state of the Garden Route cities/towns, said he is "one hundred percent" behind the new initiative as it would open up communication between various ratepayers associations and municipalities. In his research, only 30% of respondents indicated that the political and municipal leadership were addressing the needs and concerns of citizens.
Pattinson said "issues of relevance to all of us" will be pursued in work groups and include: Alternative renewable energy solutions:
The aim is to alleviate the massive impact that load shedding has on all of our towns' residents. There is concern about the lack of planning to deal with load shedding, and the need to open the way for the private sector to step in to provide solar alternatives. What support is the Western Cape providing and how can we all take advantage of it.
The combined strength of our memberships makes the organisation a formidable force in effecting change.
Budgets and Financial Sustainability:
Budgets are poorly prepared, are not zero-based, reflect no cost savings, and are over-charging us on tariffs. Together we can lobby provincial treasury for a regime that extends beyond just the ticking of boxes when they approve municipal budgets, but to rather include "best practices", like cost containment, efficient application of resources, ample maintenance budgets, adherence to the capital reserve fund, and to keep the focus on providing affordable and sustainable services to the residents.
Waste removal: Possibly request the waste removal manager at Garden Route District Municipality to survey the municipalities within GRDM for "best practices" with regard to recycling, transport (private vs contract), types of equipment used, sharing of resources, and tariff for waste removal in each town.
Crime and Security: What do our various towns pay for municipal infrastructure security? Do they use Municipal Law Enforcement? What are the methods of corruption being used, and how are we going to stop it? Should we keep a list of blacklisted employees who tend to move from municipality to municipality to stay ahead of disciplinary charges?