Re-evaluating the City of Georgetown's properties

Re-evaluating the City of Georgetown’s properties

Mar 09, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

A few days ago, His Worship the Mayor in a very misinformed way, spoke of reevaluating the City of Georgetown’s properties.

Over the last 30 years, M&CC had hired two well-known valuators to undertake this job. They were never able to complete their tasks – One had done as much as three-quarters of the city.

The legal procedure of reevaluating the City’s properties is as follows:

(i) Tender for a Valuator and then the Council, after debate, decides on one

(ii) Publicize the Valuation for three weeks.

(iii) Valuation begins. Valuators could use modern IT and Aerial Surveys.

(iv) Valuation results by wards are widely publicized in both print and electronic media.

(v) Period of six weeks allowed for objections by property owners

(vi) The final reevaluations would take effect from the next calendar year. This is important to note since the mayor was under the impression that the reevaluation could take effect in the same year as it was done.

What M&CC could do and indeed must do are the following:

(a) When new buildings are to be constructed or fundamentally repaired, the owners must submit their plans to the City Engineer for approval. A new reevaluation of this property would be done at this stage. This could be done ex post facto, no matter how many years have elapsed.

(b) Many residential properties over the years have been converted into commercial properties without paying the increases in taxes. M&CC must do a survey of the City and determine the numerous commercial properties still paying the residential rates. One could begin with the numerous Chinese restaurants and supermarkets which were once residential.

If the M&CC were to effectuate (a) and (b) above and begin to collect arrears of taxes by use of Execution Sales on the defaulting properties, by year end, the City Treasurer would have collected more money than M&CC could use.

Would the M&CC have the necessary Management skills and gumption to be able to effectuate (a) and (b) above and carry out the Execution Sales?

Yours sincerely

Paul Validum Ramlochan

(Re-evaluating the City of Georgetown’s properties)

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Approval, City Engineer, City of Georgetown, Mayor, property owners

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