A group of Hilton business owners gathered at La Popote for the first in a series of public addresses which the HRA will host to engage the Hilton community regarding the proposed Hilton Village UIP. Mike Tarr, Chairman of the Hilton Ratepayers Association welcomed the new Mayor of uMngeni, Chris Pappas, who addressed the gathering to reinforce his support for an Urban Improvement Precinct to be established in Hilton with the intention of serving as top up over and above the services which the current rates structure is obligated to deliver.
Key points which our mayor highlighted regarding the creation of this first UIP for the uMngeni District were that it must be inclusive of any social challenges in the demarcated area, it must be what the majority of ratepayers desire and that the necessary municipal procedure must be followed.
Councillor Pam Passmoor advised that currently 83% of the Hilton rates owed is sitting at 60 days in arrears.
Chris Pappas advised that Tourism and Agriculture are areas which our uMngeni district have identified as growth opportunities as they carefully balance development and transformation in prioritising where the budget spend is directed. The Municipality aims to attract economic investment by making uMngeni a preferred destination for remote service industry relocation.
Ian McMillan spoke more about the Special Rating Area concept, highlighting that these structures are successful not just in South Africa where there are more than 100, but also in several countries around the world including the United States, Canada and Japan.
The general response from the business representatives in the room was supportive of developing Hilton’s Urban Improvement Precinct.
Pictured here L-R: Ian McMillan (Hilton UIP Steering Committee), Mayor of uMngeni Chris Pappas, Janet Channing (Hilton UIP Steering Committee) and Mike Tarr (Chair of HRA)