Sparks fly over city property re-evaluation

DTA City Councillor Ilme Schneider on Wednesday criticised the planned general revaluation of property to be carried out before July 2005.

At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Council gave its approval for the revaluation to begin in January at a cost of N$1,7 million. But Schneider questioned whether the process would be better handled than previously, saying the City had made numerous errors before for which ratepayers had had to unfairly bear the brunt.Although valuations began in 2000, administrative hiccups and inaccuracies meant that the roll only came into effect on July 1 last year.Schneider said several properties in the Klein Windhoek area had been undervalued and that some ratepayers were made to pay as much as N$20 000 when the errors were picked… “If we have overvalued property I don’t think we’ve ever paid back anybody,” she said.”The fact that we didn’t do it properly is not their [ratepayers] fault.”According to law, a general valuation of all rateable properties has to be carried out every five years to determine a new tax base.There are some 41 000 rateable properties in the City.Acknowledging previous flaws, Chairman of the Management Committee Bjorn von Finckenstein attempted to allay Schneider’s concerns saying that this time the evaluations would be carried out properly.The UDF’s Werner Claasen took issue with the high cost.He said it appeared that the council was on a “spending spree”.Although not opposed to hiring consultants, he felt that the city should be in a better position to handle the process with minimal outside help.Von Finckenstein said the city did not have the expertise to do it alone.The council heard that with the limited staff, it could take at least 18 months for the Valuation Division to carry out the work.The council thus gave its approval for graduates from the Polytechnic of Namibia be hired to assist in the process.Quantity surveyors would also have to be enlisted to determine building estimates, as well as three valuers to assist with the inspection of commercial and industrial properties.But before then, the city also plans to compile an interim provisional Valuation Roll which it intends to advertise publicly by September… An interim valuation court is due to sit from November 8 to consider all interim valuations done between July last year and June this year of new or extended property for placement on the interim provisional Valuation Roll.Schneider supported by the Republican Party’s Nico Smit also voiced dissatisfaction with his process, saying it was a waste of money and resources, considering that proper valuations would be carried out next year at a high cost.The process will cost the City nearly N$40 000.In terms of the Local Authorities Act, interim valuations of any ratable property may be done between the five-year general revaluations.But Schneider questioned whether the process would be better handled than previously, saying the City had made numerous errors before for which ratepayers had had to unfairly bear the brunt.Although valuations began in 2000, administrative hiccups and inaccuracies meant that the roll only came into effect on July 1 last year.Schneider said several properties in the Klein Windhoek area had been undervalued and that some ratepayers were made to pay as much as N$20 000 when the errors were picked… “If we have overvalued property I don’t think we’ve ever paid back anybody,” she said.”The fact that we didn’t do it properly is not their [ratepayers] fault.”According to law, a general valuation of all rateable properties has to be carried out every five years to determine a new tax base.There are some 41 000 rateable properties in the City.Acknowledging previous flaws, Chairman of the Management Committee Bjorn von Finckenstein attempted to allay Schneider’s concerns saying that this time the evaluations would be carried out properly.The UDF’s Werner Claasen took issue with the high cost.He said it appeared that the council was on a “spending spree”.Although not opposed to hiring consultants, he felt that the city should be in a better position to handle the process with minimal outside help.Von Finckenstein said the city did not have the expertise to do it alone.The council heard that with the limited staff, it could take at least 18 months for the Valuation Division to carry out the work.The council thus gave its approval for graduates from the Polytechnic of Namibia be hired to assist in the process.Quantity surveyors would also have to be enlisted to determine building estimates, as well as three valuers to assist with the inspection of commercial and industrial properties.But before then, the city also plans to compile an interim provisional Valuation Roll which it intends to advertise publicly by September… An interim valuation court is due to sit from November 8 to consider all interim valuations done between July last year and June this year of new or extended property for placement on the interim provisional Valuation Roll.Schneider supported by the Republican Party’s Nico Smit also voiced dissatisfaction with his process, saying it was a waste of money and resources, considering that proper valuations would be carried out next year at a high cost.The process will cost the City nearly N$40 000.In terms of the Local Authorities Act, interim valuations of any ratable property may be done between the five-year general revaluations.