By CHERI-ANN JAMES

BUFFALO City’s property evaluations have hit another stumbling block – this time it is home owners who won’t allow data collectors access to their properties.

The city’s executive mayor, Zintle Peter, yesterday said there have been instances where collectors were chased away from houses.

She was speaking at a business breakfast at a beachfront hotel.

Describing the process as a “mammoth task”, Peter called on all property owners to co-operate with data collectors.

Just over a week ago, the municipality sent out a warning to residents after complaints that people were posing as data collectors to gain entry to homes.

About 120 data collectors took to the streets at the beginning of February to gather information about properties. A total of 152000 properties have to be revalued in terms of the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004.

Properties are currently rated on depreciated cost. According to the new Act, which will be implemented by July 2009, rates are to be calculated on market value.

Estate agents said they foresaw a sharp increase in rates because property hadn’t been valued in years. Current valuations are based on values obtained between 1990 and 1998.

Buffalo City Municipality chief financial officer Brian Shepherd said they were looking at capping rate increases to lessen the burden on ratepayers.

Besides residential and non-residential properties being valued farms, too, will undergo this process.

Chairman of the Buffalo City Agricultural Action Forum Mike Mangold said it was important that the farming community was well informed about the valuations and how they would impact on them.

According to him, farms in Buffalo City have not been rated in the last 30 years.

“The municipality does not have an accurate data base of rural areas. We want to ensure everything is being done fairly,” he said.

Alderman John Badenhorst said people who had not paid rates in the past need not worry as the new rates would be phased in over three years.

Mangold said the forum, which represents six commercial farmers’ associations, would meet next month to discuss a number of issues, including the implementation of the new rates policy.

Source: Daily Dispatch