NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 2016

Tala newsletter                                                           December 2016                                                                            

IMMOVABLE PROPERTY TAX

Bills for this tax were issued by the Government department in September.    As previously, payment can be made online on JCC Smart.

Those choosing to pay between 1^st November and 31 December will pay 27.5% of the 2015 tax and those who pay after 31^st December will face a 10% levy on the 27.5% figure.

Tax bills up to €10 will be waived. Tax bills received will show the same amount of tax as was paid last year.  However, when payment is made the amount will be discounted in line with the amounts quoted above.  The tax is likely to be cancelled in 2017.

LOCAL IMMOVABLE PROPERTY TAX

Just a reminder that this tax is payable at Tala Council office once you have your title deeds.  No reminders are issued and it is the responsibility of property owners to settle their accounts.   Please note that payment must be made before 18^th December to avoid  a 25% penalty.  

If you have only acquired your title deeds this year, please take your title deeds into the Council office when you go to pay this tax.  As with the Government Immovable Property Tax, this tax is likely to be cancelled in 2017.

RATES

A reminder that the bills for rates/refuse collection are due for payment by 18 December to avoid any penalty.

WATER

The transfer of water from Leptos to Tala Council will now take place from 1 January 2017.  Leptos will therefore invoice residents for the period up to 31 December and Tala Council will read the meters from 31 March [to cover the period 1/1/17 to 31/3/17].    For those users affected, if you wish to continue payment by bank transfer, could you please note the following:

1  Water supplied by Tala

Please call into Tala Council office with a note of your bank details and IBAN number to allow payment by bank transfer.   You will also need to cancel your previous transfer to the Monastery or Leptos once your final payment for water consumed has been collected.   For Leptos customers, Tala will not collect any payment for water until after the first Tala meter readings at the end of March 2017.

Those who are unable to visit the council office in person, can email the Council office to set up the bank transfer on a permanent basis.   It is important please that all the information stipulated is submitted, together with the wording granting permission.

Email to:  kstala@cytanet.com.cy

Heading:  DANIEL – WATER

Name:

Full address [not box no for Kamares please]:

Name and address of Bank:

SWIFT BIC:

IBAN No for account you wish payment to be collected from:

I hereby authorise Tala Community Board by means of this email to collect payment for water and/or rates [please amend as appropriate] from my Bank Account until further notice.

Please note that the above information has to be supplied to Tala Council office by email and not sent direct to your bank as the collection system differs from that used by Kili.

In the event of a problem with your Tala water supply outside office hours, please phone  Nikiforos 99 630613 or Vrasidas 99 468299.  During office hours, please phone Tala Council office on 26 652412

2  Water supplied by Kili

Members who wish to pay their Kili Community charges & Water bills by Bank Transfer may do so using the following instructions. 

Payee.      KINOTIKO SYMBOULIO KOILIS.  (Kili Community Council)

IBAN.          CY56 0070 2840 0000 0000 2734 9818

Bank Details.  COOPERATIVE CENTRAL BANK LTD,
                         8 Gregoris Afxentiou Street, 1096 Nicosia.

BIC.           CCBKCY2N

Please note that a reference code, which in addition to the name of the payer, must be included in the instructions is, in the case of water bills, in the box at the top right on the invoice.

Regarding those transferring to Tala from the Monastery and Leptos, we are aware that some of the pipework and pumps are old and need replacing.   Once Leptos have handed over the supply, the Water Board will be able to agree a schedule of works to be carried out to improve the system.   

COMMUNITY/NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH – PLEASE SIGN UP!

Security information and any security updates can be found by going to the right hand corner ‘Categories’ and clicking on Security on www.talanews.blogspot.com.

Everyone is please encouraged to sign up for the Neighbourhood Watch scheme.   This does not commit you to forming committees or patrols, but is an agreement to be the eyes and ears of the Police and report any suspicious activity or vehicles to them.   We have an undertaking from the Police to carry out regular vehicular patrols of the Tala area.   To maintain this service, as a community we need to show support to the Police and this can be done by signing up to the Neighbourhood Watch scheme.  Sign up from Kamares residents has been outstanding and it would be good to see support from other areas of the village.

To sign up you can either email your name, address, mobile number and email address to Cathi on toffee@primehome.com or call into the council office and provide this information to the staff there.  For the time being any security alerts will be by email.

On www.talanews.blogspot.com under Security there is a Get to Know Your Neighbour form.  This is available in English, Greek, Russian and Chinese.  If you are unable to print the form[s] from the blog, please email Cathi and she will send you the documents.   It is felt that by getting to know your neighbour, this will help make more people aware of the neighbourhood watch scheme, enable people to notice strangers in the area, or suspicious activity and thus reduce the number of thefts.  

 

There are also A5 stickers available for those who have signed up to the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.  These can be obtained at Tala Council office at a cost of €1 for two stickers.   Proceeds will go to charity.

Suspicious activity should please be reported to the Police on 112.   Thereafter, it would be helpful if you could  let Cathi know what has happened by sending her a short email so she can liaise with the Police and/or alert the community if needed.

After a period when activity has been quiet, there has been an increase in activity over the last few weeks with breakins and theft of satellite dishes, gates and other metal items.   If in doubt, if you see anything out of the ordinary, take a note of the location, description of the vehicle and registration number and phone the Police.

LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS – December

The local elections are proceeding and will take place on Sunday 18 December.  You can only vote if you have applied for a vote and there is no proxy or postal vote available for those who will not be on the island on 18 December.

The candidates for Mukhtar are:

Myself, Areti Pieridou

Efrem Efrem [Evros]

Marios Karamanlis

Marios Varnavides

A draft of the election paper [which will be in Greek] and information regarding where the candidates for Mukhtar and Council members can be found on the election paper will be circulated closer to election date.

PAFILIA BUILDING SITE

It is understood that Pafilia are close to reaching an agreement with the owner of the land and that once this is achieved building work will resume.   No timescale has yet been given.

CONTAINERS ON THE KISSONERGA ROAD

I am pleased to advise that the owner finally agreed to removal of the containers from the field on the road to Kissonerga.   To ensure their removal, the Council offered storage space at the Council Storage Unit and the containers have now been moved to this location.

LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE – TALA SQUARE

The laying of the foundation stone in Tala Square will take place on Sunday 27 November at 10am.   The Archbishop of Cyprus and the District Officer will be in attendance.   Everyone is welcome to attend the ceremony.

NEW CHURCH – CAR PARKING

By the end of October, the Church had removed most of the items stored in the carpark underneath the new Church, and white lines were in place to denote parking places.   The lighting has also been improved but is only activated when you drive into the carpark.     When visiting the square, please either park here, or in the car park behind the little old church.

WHAT YOUR COUNCIL HAS ACHIEVED IN THE LAST 5 YEARS

Schools

-         - Overseen the opening of the new Kindergarten school

-          -Rebuilt the road leading to the kindergarten as the original was collapsing due to type of soil [clay] and underground water sources

-         - Introduced an additional nursery class into the Kindergarten school

-         - Provided shade at the Elementary school, painted benches and tables

-         - Installed a fenced all-weather pitch for games

-          -Organised summer school facilities at the Elementary school

-         - Painted the Elementary school inside and out

-          -Introduced free computer lessons for children and adults

-         - Introduced a Christmas bazaar where Father Christmas visits and there is a small gift for around 100 children [funded from the craft sales at the Welfare Centre]

Welfare

-         - Started the Welfare Centre [SKE]

-         - Introduced regular exercise classes for seniors

-         - Introduced a craft session on a Monday morning with knitting, bead making, and the like

-          -Introduced occasional coach trips for members

-         - Introduced Greek Dancing classes

Amphitheatre

-         -Built much needed changing rooms and toilet facilities for the performers and additional toilet facilities adjacent to the children’s play area

-          -Removed the narrow stage which was restricting activities at the amphitheatre

-          -As part of Pafos 2017 proposed the painting of the walls around the carpark, and the top wall fronting onto the road as a Community Art Project

-         - Installed railings and lighting on the steps leading up to the bar area

General

-         - Negotiated Tala out of the SAPA sewerage system until 2027.   This has saved all residents a considerable amount of money as if we were still ‘in’ we would all be paying annually for an indefinite period, with the likelihood of never being connected. 

-         - Negotiated and resolved issues so that a new cemetery could be built in Tala.  This has been done at a cost of only €40 per household in Tala and is intended to be self-financing in the future with the income from the purchase of graves in a ring-fenced account which will be used, when needed, to fund the building of additional graves at some time in the future when needed.   The area has been planted, is secure from animal trespass, and there are benches for quiet reflection.  Purchase price for plots is €850, or if pre-purchased €750, and for those who are not resident in Tala €2,000. 

-        - Organised an annual review of roads and pavements and a programme for maintenance of them

-        - Agreed a contract with Paphiakos for the collection of stray dogs in Tala

-         - Improved road markings in Kamares  and Stephanie

-         - Negotiated pedestrianisation and modernisation of Tala Square with the first phase under way [phase   2, the road network around the square follows once the square works have been completed]

-       -  Installed a new pavement on the corner by the Co-Op Bank with railings

-         - Installed stone walling and planting on the main road coming up from Emba, and on the road leading up to the monastery

-         - Closer working between the Council and KVHA

-         - Closer working between the Council  and the Stephanie Association

-         - Closer working between the Council and the School Governors

-         - Improvement of the recycling bin areas

-         - Introduction of the Tala Blog to provide information and news for Tala residents [initially only for      English speakers, but now has a Translate button for other languages]

-          -Retained the Tala Newsletter to provide information and news for Tala residents

-          -Welcome meetings for Russians and Chinese moving into Tala

-         - Clearance of the overgrown path leading from Ay Georgiou up to St John Prodromos.  This now links with steps to the Church-owned building plots off Stephanie Avenue

-          -Closer co-operation with the District Office in Paphos to obtain funding and support for projects

-          -Agreed Neighbourhood Watch scheme in Tala and negotiated regular police patrols around the village and access to a Community Policeman in connection with the NHW scheme and other matters.  The Police also provide a regular vehicle patrol in a marked car around Tala.

-        - Moved the library from above the council offices to a location offering more accessible hours.  Books have been re-catalogued and re-stocking is in progress.

-         - Agreed and completed changes with the Post Office to provide more room for the sorting of mail.

-         - Cleaning and overhaul of the water tanks in the village

-         - Transfer of the water supply from the Monastery to Tala Council [with transfer of the water supply from Leptos to Tala Council wef 1/1/17]

Council Offices

-         - Replastering of ceiling in upstairs meeting room and redecoration of offices throughout.

-         - Re-organisation of offices

-         - Re-painting of offices outside, replacement of some windows and replacement of flags

-         - Updated  the computer system and installed new computer equipment

-          -Introduced an inventory system for materials used by the Water Department

-          -Built a secure off-site storage unit for mechanical equipment and tools

-          -Added a vehicle to the ‘fleet’ and a small motor scooter for general running around the village where    a larger vehicle was not practical

-         - Obtained a multi-function street cleaning machine

WHAT’S ON IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA

December

29 Nov-3 Dec         Wife Begins at Forty – Stage One Theatre, Emba

4                              Christmas Bazaar at Elementary School, Tala [10am to 1pm with Father                                           Christmas at 1230]

14                           Merry Christmas Party at the Kamares Club with Whitemouse Duo

16                           Spectacular Christmas Special with Teodoro de Castillo at Vatouthkia Restaurant

16                           Carols on the Stairs – Kamares Club

18                           Local council elections

31                           New Years Eve at the Kamares Club with live music and dancing show

February

14                           Valentine Party at Kamares Club with Melanie Ballard and DJ Marcos – further                                   information available in due course.

Details of the above can be found on www.talanews.blogspot.com as information is released.

Events at Kamares Club must be booked direct with the Club. 

For Vatouthkia events, tickets can be booked via Vatouthkia Taverna, Visteria Kiosk, or Nicos on 99 459163 or Angela on 99 751007,  or Dorothy on 99 380182 or Teo on 99 213566.

For Stage One events, please book direct with Stage One Theatre in Emba.

Next issue 1 March 2017

And finally best wishes to all residents for a Happy Christmas and Healthy and Happy 2017.

Areti Pieridou