<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Town council helped resident again and again
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Wednesday's letter by Mr Lim Beo Thiam, 'Assessing town councils: Focus on needs of residents, not profit'.
Jalan Besar Town Council (JBTC) agrees with Mr Lim that town councils should not focus on making a profit. Our mission is to manage our estate effectively for our residents.
JBTC will do its best to assist residents who have problems paying their service and conservancy (S&C) charges. Besides reminders and house visits, instalment plans may be approved to enable residents to make progressive payments. Where justifiable, penalties are waived and bad debts written off. We also help refer residents in difficulty to various welfare agencies. Legal action is our last resort in the event of repeated defaults or ignoring attempts to contact them for solutions.
Contrary to what Mr Lim has stated, he defaulted on his S&C charge payments even when his earnings were 'fitful'. He bought a resale flat in Jalan Besar town in March 1999. Since then, he started to default on his S&C charge payments. He has approached his MPs - who have represented him - and his family many times, including on other issues.
JBTC has helped Mr Lim arrange instalment plans and allowed him to defer his payments several times. We also offered to waive the entire penalty fee if he adhered to the instalment plan. Attempts to visit Mr Lim at his flat to discuss his arrears were not successful as the flat was occupied by different sub-tenants at different times. It was with reluctance that JBTC took legal action, as a last resort. The legal action was also deferred many times upon his appeals.
We do not agree with Mr Lim's suggestion that the town council should set up a fund to offer loans to residents to tide them over difficult times, or help with private tuition, home renovation or family holidays. We believe it is in the best interests of residents that the town council focuses on its primary duty of estate management and improvement.
Mr Lim is welcome to call at our office to discuss with our senior property manager, Mr Ang Lam Ann, if he needs further help from our town council.
Justin Lim
General Manager
Jalan Besar Town Council
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Wednesday's letter by Mr Lim Beo Thiam, 'Assessing town councils: Focus on needs of residents, not profit'.
Jalan Besar Town Council (JBTC) agrees with Mr Lim that town councils should not focus on making a profit. Our mission is to manage our estate effectively for our residents.
JBTC will do its best to assist residents who have problems paying their service and conservancy (S&C) charges. Besides reminders and house visits, instalment plans may be approved to enable residents to make progressive payments. Where justifiable, penalties are waived and bad debts written off. We also help refer residents in difficulty to various welfare agencies. Legal action is our last resort in the event of repeated defaults or ignoring attempts to contact them for solutions.
Contrary to what Mr Lim has stated, he defaulted on his S&C charge payments even when his earnings were 'fitful'. He bought a resale flat in Jalan Besar town in March 1999. Since then, he started to default on his S&C charge payments. He has approached his MPs - who have represented him - and his family many times, including on other issues.
JBTC has helped Mr Lim arrange instalment plans and allowed him to defer his payments several times. We also offered to waive the entire penalty fee if he adhered to the instalment plan. Attempts to visit Mr Lim at his flat to discuss his arrears were not successful as the flat was occupied by different sub-tenants at different times. It was with reluctance that JBTC took legal action, as a last resort. The legal action was also deferred many times upon his appeals.
We do not agree with Mr Lim's suggestion that the town council should set up a fund to offer loans to residents to tide them over difficult times, or help with private tuition, home renovation or family holidays. We believe it is in the best interests of residents that the town council focuses on its primary duty of estate management and improvement.
Mr Lim is welcome to call at our office to discuss with our senior property manager, Mr Ang Lam Ann, if he needs further help from our town council.
Justin Lim
General Manager
Jalan Besar Town Council
