BESS BERRY COMMUNITY FRUSTRATED
Residents of Bess Berry in Deeper Eye Water, Western Rural District, have expressed their dissatisfaction over what they referred to as high property rate levied on them by the Western Rural District Council (WARDC).
The residents had received letters from Council noticing them about the little increments since the Council has a huge budget to cover for the fiscal year. Receiving the letters, some of the residents approached other stakeholders including the Headman Alhaji Ibrahim Sesay who advised them to pay what the Council is asking them to pay for their houses.
According to the Bess Berry Community Sub Headman, Komrabai Bangura aka Okom, he has spoken to people to honor the payment but the people are asking questions pertaining development that Council has said Bess Berry community is not on their map. He said his community, which is said is not on the map, contributes more revenues to Council than nearby Loko Town which is said to be on the map. “We have over a thousand residents and hundreds of houses here”, he informed. “We have been left out in terms of allocating electricity poles and even the main road to the wharf where Council generates so much revenue, is patched by us and not the Council, he further grumbled. He compared that before Covid 19 stroke, they used to pay ranging from Le 85,000 to Le 150,000 as the case might be but the property rate skyrocketed around 350,000 to Le 500,000 pointing out that there is nothing to show in terms of development in their community. “We have not seen light not even the poles despite your commitments”, he blasted.
According to Adama Kargbo, a widow with seven children, business has not been favorable for her to be able to pay Le 350,000 for her four bed room bungalow which her late husband, who was a sand miner, constructed for the family.
Being a sand mining community, the miners, as well are grumbling over the addition in this year’s property rate.
It could be recalled that in its 2022 Budgets Presentation, WARDC warmed Headmen to ensure their subjects honor payments. The budget for property rate for 2021 was Le 4.6 billion subsequently only Le 234 million was collected as at September.
However, WARDC Councilors have expressed the need for people to pay their property rates as their duty to Council and hold them accountable over basic social services in the district. WARDC, through Elman’s Holding had conducted a cadastral survey in the rural district and was tasked to assess value and collect property rates in 2019.
