Local News
Appeals handled by Valuation Appeal Board: Khedama─── 14:52 Tue, 19 Mar 2013
Sabrina Dean
Bloemfontein - The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) is accused of contravening the Municipal Property Rates Act for failing to send individual notices to property owners informing them of their new property valuations.
DA Councillor Werner Horn said about R20-million was set aside in the previous budget to complete the new valuations, which have to be done every five years. He says these have now been completed by a Gauteng service provider.
However, Horn said the Metro has so far failed to send out individual notices and has only published the new valuation roll on its website. “Many people can’t access the internet,” he said.
Horn said procedures laid out by the section 49 (1) (c) of the Municipal Property Rates Act require the municipality to send individual notices, as well as the procedures for objections, to each individual property owner.
The MMM refutes this, though, saying it has already started mailing the letters. Spokesman Qondile Khedama responded to questions via email. He said, “The municipality has over the last two weeks mailed a number of letters to the community, there is an arrangement with post office to mail out all the letters by the due date of 01 April 2013.”
Horn feels there is not enough time left to finalise the process before 1 July, when the MMM intends implementing new rates and taxes formulated from the new valuation roll.
The MMM believes there is sufficient time though. Khedama said the inspection period is opened from 18 February to 30 April 2013 and the community has until 30 April to lodge their objections.
“The objections will be responded to in writing. Appeals may also be lodged by the community if they are not happy with the responses from the municipality,” he said.
Khedama said appeals are handled by the Valuation Appeal Board.
The other issue raised by Horn relates to the values assigned to some properties. He says there are cases of small holdings, for example, which have been valued at over R7-million on the MMM valuation roll despite only having been valued at about R1,4-million by the bank.
Khedama said there is nothing extraordinary about this, though. He said the municipality itself is also objecting to a few properties that have been valued higher than they should. He says these properties will be addressed by the supplementary roll to be implemented simultaneously with the valuation roll by 01 July 2013.
“This is not extraordinary as both the owners and the municipality has the right to object the values by the valuer,” he said.
Khedama said objection forms are available at all the municipal buildings and the website. The valuation roll is also available at www.mangaung.co.za.
Bloemfontein - The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) is accused of contravening the Municipal Property Rates Act for failing to send individual notices to property owners informing them of their new property valuations.
DA Councillor Werner Horn said about R20-million was set aside in the previous budget to complete the new valuations, which have to be done every five years. He says these have now been completed by a Gauteng service provider.
However, Horn said the Metro has so far failed to send out individual notices and has only published the new valuation roll on its website. “Many people can’t access the internet,” he said.
Horn said procedures laid out by the section 49 (1) (c) of the Municipal Property Rates Act require the municipality to send individual notices, as well as the procedures for objections, to each individual property owner.
The MMM refutes this, though, saying it has already started mailing the letters. Spokesman Qondile Khedama responded to questions via email. He said, “The municipality has over the last two weeks mailed a number of letters to the community, there is an arrangement with post office to mail out all the letters by the due date of 01 April 2013.”
Horn feels there is not enough time left to finalise the process before 1 July, when the MMM intends implementing new rates and taxes formulated from the new valuation roll.
The MMM believes there is sufficient time though. Khedama said the inspection period is opened from 18 February to 30 April 2013 and the community has until 30 April to lodge their objections.
“The objections will be responded to in writing. Appeals may also be lodged by the community if they are not happy with the responses from the municipality,” he said.
Khedama said appeals are handled by the Valuation Appeal Board.
The other issue raised by Horn relates to the values assigned to some properties. He says there are cases of small holdings, for example, which have been valued at over R7-million on the MMM valuation roll despite only having been valued at about R1,4-million by the bank.
Khedama said there is nothing extraordinary about this, though. He said the municipality itself is also objecting to a few properties that have been valued higher than they should. He says these properties will be addressed by the supplementary roll to be implemented simultaneously with the valuation roll by 01 July 2013.
“This is not extraordinary as both the owners and the municipality has the right to object the values by the valuer,” he said.
Khedama said objection forms are available at all the municipal buildings and the website. The valuation roll is also available at www.mangaung.co.za.
