ESTABLISHMENT
The increased demands on municipalities for infrastructure and services have not been matched by incoming revenue. In many cases this has led to reduced services on the ground, which if left unchecked would ultimately lead to degeneration and urban decay, clearly an unacceptable situation for Property Owners.
Legislation makes provision for the establishment of a Non-Profit Company (NPC) to work hand-in-hand with local authorities in supplementing the basic services.
The Airport City Improvement District NPC, (AICID) has been in operation since 1 July 2004, with a minimum of four directors. The CID Board is made up by Property Owners and is run entirely by the private sector.
The Airport Industrial area supports a business mix, including some light industries, industrial parks, workshops, cold storage, courier businesses, imports and exports.
Property and Business owners are concerned about the levels of urban degradation and the general public safety.
With the establishment of the City Improvement District, the steering committee has identified the Special Rating Area (SRA) model as a basis to address the four pillars of Public safety, Cleansing, Environmental/Urban management and Social responsibility.
Inadequacies and deficiencies were highlighted at the onset of implementation and continue to be addressed satisfactorily. The ongoing perception shows the general consensus from business, landlords and tenants is that both crime and grime related challenges are being addressed. There has been tremendous support from businesses whose input has been of vital importance in enabling the Airport Industria City Improvement District to further the goal of creating a safe, secure and clean working environment in which to conduct business.
The Airport Industria City Improvement District NPC (AICID) is a community-driven venture, allowing the local community, property owners and local businesses to organise and fund improvements within the AICID. Once established by the City the AICID, a non-profit company (NPC), carries out the improvements and upgrades proposed in its business plan, funded by an additional property rate levied on rateable property located within the AICID. The additional property rates are collected by the City of Cape Town (CCT) from property owners in the area and paid to the AICID. The additional property rate is expressed as a cent in the Rand, is based on municipal valuation of the property and payable by all property owners. The additional rates paid by the property owners in the area means an equitable split based on municipal property valuation.
The budget will be dedicated to the specific area only and will be spent in accordance with the approved Business Plan. The cost of the additional services allows individual property owners to benefit from a well-managed business node including a shared sense of communal pride, safety and social responsibility.