Ingrid van den Berg

Member since 25 February 2026

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Ingrid van den Berg4 months ago Good morning,I wish to strongly object to two aspects of the City’s 2026/27 budget: Fixed charges linked to property valuationsThis policy unfairly penalises households like mine — a pensioner supporting elderly parents and a dependent son — by tying essential service charges to “paper wealth” in property values. Rising valuations do not translate into income, yet they inflate rates bills beyond affordability. Fixed charges should be based on connection size and property size, not market forces. The City should also absorb the cleaning fee into general rates and rein in salary costs driven by SALGA increases. Indigent relief frameworkWhile support for vulnerable residents is vital, exempting indigent households from all utility payments is unsustainable. A shrinking pool of ratepayers cannot indefinitely subsidise a growing base of non‑payers. Moreover, when services are free, they are undervalued, undermining conservation appeals. Even a nominal contribution from all households would foster responsibility and fairness.ConclusionThe current policies risk collapsing the system by overburdening ratepayers and discouraging responsible consumption. I urge the City to adopt a more equitable, rational and sustainable approach.

Ingrid van den Berg3 months ago I read with interest that the 3rd objective of your proposed policy is "A strategic shift towards (....) a resident-centred performance management approach".I certainly hope that the CoCT is serious about this objective, as it will have a lot of improving to do to meet it.My community (Bergvliet) has attempted every possible way to communicate with the CoCT about a proposed mega school in our area, but our efforts have been totally disregarded.Indeed, the CoCT (in collaboration with the WCED) has steamrolled ahead in its plans without any consideration whatsoever for residents.It would be good to see the CoCT finally doing something about this often arrogant dismissal of residents' needs and wishes.