OBSID AGM - attend and contribute to improving Obs

The Observatory Improvement District will be hosting its annual general meeting on Saturday 18 November 2017, at Woolworths Financial Services, St Michaels Road, Observatory.

The Observatory community is encouraged to attend.

The OBSID is established under the City of Cape Town’s by-law on Special Rating Areas and is enabled nationally under the Municipal Property Rates Act.

This special rating area is intended to provide improved services, over and above what the City of Cape Town can equitably provide to all areas.

Its work is funded by a 1% additional levy on rates, in order to top up services to businesses and residents in the area such as additional street cleaning, safety and security services and social development services that are focused on working with the homeless in Observatory.

As ordinary members of a spatially-defined community, the Improvement District model empowers citizens and provides us with a tool to better manage our own area, to engage strategically with the municipality and to help to create the conditions that will support local economic development in our neighbourhood.

Typically this form of urban management has been used internationally to stimulate urban regeneration, investment and a vibrant property market.

The OBSID is a private non-profit company and is governed by a voluntary (non-executive) board.

Their primary role is to ensure that the 1% rates levy that funds the OBSID is spent well in improving the urban management of Observatory.

The board is elected annually at the AGM by members of the company.

Any property owner within the special rating area can become a member and vote in the AGM.

While the OBSID primarily accounts to owners of property within the special rating area boundary, it is important to us that we operate transparently and inclusively by seeking to address the needs of all residents, businesses, workers and visitors to our village.

It is for this reason that we think it’s important to invite all interested individuals to come to our AGM, hear about the work of the OBSID.

Come and share your ideas with us of how we could improve Observatory.