Central is home to a number of significant historical buildings, a host of galleries, restaurants, and an abundance of open spaces. Central is seen as an area with a huge amount of untapped potential.
However after several years of failed service delivery and disinvestment by local property owner’s urban decay and deterioration has led to the area failing to fulfil its potential as well as provide its residents with an acceptable quality of life. The degeneration of Central has led to an increase in crime, prostitution, vagrancy, squatting, drug-use, and waste.
The community prompted by this decline determined that the creation of an SRA would allow residents to take direct responsibility for the upliftment of the area. An SRA would provide the ideal vehicle through which service delivery could be improved leading to the area being safer and a more sought after area for both businesses and residents.
Special Rates Association
A Special Rating Area is a geographic area within the jurisdiction of a Municipality, determined or to be determined by the Municipality Council in terms of Section 22 of the Municipal Rates Act 6 of 2004 as an area within which an additional rates amount shall be levied by the Municipality and paid over to a community owned Company for its sole use in improving aspects of service delivery within that geographic area.
Central SRA
Based on a fundamental need to improve the area that the residents of Central reside in, the property owners within the Central area formally applied for the registration of an SRA for the Central area. Based on the spirit of ubuntu, and the tenets of inclusive growth the Central SRA is managed through a Non-profit Company.
Non-profit Company
A non-profit Company was established in accordance with the Companies Act 61 of 1973 which allows for a ‘not-for-profit company’ to be incorporated. Property owners within the Central area are eligible to stand for election to the Board of Directors of the Company, and their fiduciary duties include, but are not be limited to; ensuring that all budget related expenditure is prudent, and aligned with the approved business plan of the SRA.
Objectives
The creation of the Central SRA ensured that the residents of Central achieve a unified and cohesive voice. This coupled with an independent budget allows for a pro-active and aggressive approach to improving security, cleanliness, and maintenance within the central area. Furthermore it allows for better cohesion in working towards complementing the various urban renewal services and infrastructure projects being implemented by government and their various agencies.
All municipal buildings, schools, and places of worship in the Central SRA demarcated area are exempt from the special SRA levy. This effectively exempts approximately 350 properties from this special levy, as per the NMBM Budget and Treasury system. This results in a total of 4131 properties contributing to the Central SRA levy.