Residents attending the recent Prince Albert Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association’s (PARRA) AGM heard much encouraging news from Chairperson Barbara Castle. This past year, she said, had been an improvement on 2011 in that the Association had been able to enjoy the ‘open-door’ policy now favoured in the Municipality.

Ms Castle listed a number of areas in which PARRA had been successful, including the cementing of relationships with members and local government. The Association had lobbied for transparency in Municipal and Council spending, taken up account problems on behalf of owners, given input at Integrated Development Plan meetings, raised issues of expenditure not budgeted for and continued to encourage the municipality to use SMS as a tool for notifying residents of water restrictions, power outages, public Municipal Meetings, etc.

PARRA is dealing with the confusing changes in municipal procedures & charges for sewerage removal. Residents are encouraged to bring their concerns to the attention of Incident Manager, Nicole Wicomb, on 023 5411 014.

A small change was made to point 9c of the PARRA Constitution, doing away with the need to nominate new committee members in writing ten days before the AGM and streamlining that to "a show of hands" at the AGM.
The committee also got members' approval to make ad hoc cash donations to local projects and initiatives that would benefit the broader community of both the north and south ends of town.

Guest speaker Councillor Isak Windvogel sketched the history and development of the Prince Albert Thusong Centre ... one of many such centres countrywide, designed to bring government closer to the people. (Thusong = getting together). Access to national Departments of Home Affairs, Labour, Health, Social development and others would now be easier.

Ms Castle closed by thanking the current committee, saying it had been a rewarding experience to serve with them. She also thanked Mayor Lottering for his advice on thorny issues ... Cllr Bower for always taking the time to listen and to give positive feedback ... Linda Jaquet for attending meetings at short notice to bring us up-to-date on Community Policing Forum (CPF) matters... and Heinrich Mettler for straight answers to PARRA’s, often difficult, questions.

The current committee was returned en bloc and subsequently elected the following office bearers - Barbara Castle: Chairperson, Kelly Cloete: Vice-Chairperson, Hugh Forsyth: Treasurer, Eric Ahrens: Secretary along with André Goosen, André Jaquet and Barbara Gorniak. Residents are welcome to raise their concerns with committee members at any time.

The Association thanks the Prince Albert Friend for the excellent job it does of serving the community and extends its congratulations on a hundred years of dedicated reporting!