No special rates for Bulwer
No plans have been made for Bulwer or Glenwood to become a special rates area.
A LETTER warning of plans to form a Special Rating Area in Bulwer is making its rounds to residents in the area.
According to the letter, which was sent to residents by James Prosser, a proposal to establish a SRA for the Bulwer area is a real possibility in 2014. In it he warns residents that in order to make Bulwer a Special Rating Area only 51 per cent by area value, or 55.5 per cent by resident’s signatures is required for the proposal to be accepted by council. Should this happen, Bulwer residents could face a 40 per cent increase in their rates.
Prosser said that proposals for Special Rating Areas normally emanate from financially interested persons who hope to provide services that many people may already pay for themselves. . He said if residents refused to pay the additional SRA amount, for whatever reason, the City Council could ultimately sell their property in execution of debt. If a seller sold his property, the buyer would then be stuck with the SRA surcharge which may in some cases be a hindrance to a home sale.
In his letter, he urged residents not to agree to a SRA rates increase or to the formation of a SRA.
However, local councillor, Nicole Graham, said there were no plans to form a Special Rating Area for Glenwood: “I have confirmed this with Kevin Abbot, the official from Revenue Services. This was via Peet du Plessis, the head of the unit. The process for establishing SRAs requires extensive public participation, and if it is proposed I will ensure that this is complied with and the community be allowed to decide.”
