16 December 2020
Dear Councillor Swart,
We found the answers to residential housing in the 27 November 2020 council agenda to be deliberately evasive and obviously unacceptable. We note in the budget that municipal housing revenue is drastically down and we want to know why.
Regarding the residential accommodation owned by the municipality, we want to know per unit, for the past three years, who occupied them for what period, what rental was charged, what rental was received, what action is being taken to recover unpaid rentals if any, and we want a copy of council’s policy for the allocation of those residential units. We also want a copy of the contracts.
Kind regards,
Peter Gaylard
Chairman
Dear Cllr Swart,
We have been asking for a Municipal Housing report to be brought to Council since February 2019, listing staff occupying municipal housing, the market value, monthly rental price, and if there are any outstandings. We know the revenue figure from Municipal Rental income is drastically down so there is reason for concern.
Bitou Municipality owns numerous residential properties in the Plettenberg Bay area which it uses as staff housing. The allocation of these municipal houses to municipal staff is controlled in terms of the Staff Housing Policy (see attachment) dated May 2014.
We are not aware of a newer policy.
Pages 97 and 98 list the properties, and the market values as of 2014.
Page 99, no. 7 says “the CFO be advised regularly and at least quarterly by the Property Manager of all staff residing in municipal housing and the rental to be deducted from their monthly remuneration.”
Page 99, no. 8 says “the CFO must see to the …statutory deductions from monthly remuneration of all staff renting houses at below the market value.”
So the reports must exist. Please supply us with copies of the quarterly reports.
Best,
Neville Petersen
Chairman
