The voting deadline for the establishment of a Community Improvement District (CID) in Pinelands has been extended to Wednesday 30 November.
Last month, People’s Post reported that the drive to set up a CID in Pinelands was at last within reach following an almost three-year lull due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Residents were asked to complete and submit the consent/objection forms before the end of October. For plans to go ahead, at least 60% of residents needed to agree to the formation of a CID.
Sandy McGuffog, a member of the CID steering committee, says when the clock struck 12 on Monday 31 October, they were still 998 votes short.
“We got 1 688 ‘Yes’ votes out of the 2 686 we needed. However, the good news is that the response from those who did submit their forms is that they were overwhelmingly positive about the CID – 96,4% of the responses were ‘Yes’,” says McGuffog.
Determined to win the outstanding votes, the CID steering committee has put together a marketing strategy which includes social media and email campaigns, putting up banners in strategic spots and appearances at community events.
Last week, volunteer groups advocating for the CID also began to hit the streets, making door-to-door calls from 17:00 to 18:00.
“But we will be looking to see what feedback we get from Pinelands residents and adjust that to best match when people are free,” he says.
McGuffog adds that so far, the response from the people they have visited has been positive.
“Once we inform people about the CID, they love it. The submissions over the month of October were over 96% ‘Yes’, which tells you just how popular the CID is. The problem, of course, is getting to enough people.”
He says the volunteers, who are giving so much of their time to see this through, are people who passionately want the CID.
“Many of them have previously lived in suburbs that have CIDs (there are 48 in greater Cape Town), and have lived the benefits and want those benefits for Pinelands.”
A CID, also known as a special rates area, provides the funding mechanism and structure to improve services in a defined neighbourhood. Once established, the CID enables property owners to become involved in the management of their own area by collecting money through the City’s billing system. The money is transferred to a non-profit company (established by the property owners), which enables the company to augment services provided by the City. The non-profit company (NPC) gets a mandate from the property owners on supplemental municipal services and infrastructure desired for the area.
A “median” house with a valuation of R3 000 000, will cost R168,19 per month.
McGuffog says in addition to the benefits that a CID holds, it is also good value for money. He explains that businesses in Pinelands also contribute to the CID, reducing the cost for residents.
“For private security, you pay R500-plus per month. With the CID, for an average of about R160 per month, you get a lot more security – such as patrols, cameras, a control room, dedicated law enforcement officers – but also litter collection, mowing of public areas, and improvements to public parks. And social development programmes to reduce hunger and homelessness.”
- To vote, visit https://pinelandscid.co.za/
