Town Councils (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 53/1998

Read the first time on 23rd November 1998.

An Act to amend the Town Councils Act (Chapter 329A of the 1997 Revised Edition).

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Town Councils (Amendment) Act 1998 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Amendment of section 21

2. Section 21(1) of the Town Councils Act (referred to in this Act as the principal Act) is amended by inserting, immediately after paragraph (b), the following paragraph:

“(ba)

contribute such sum towards the premiums to be paid by the Board for the insurance of the common property of the residential and commercial property against damage by fire as the Minister may, by notice in writing to the Town Council, determine;”.

Amendment of section 33

3. Section 33 of the principal Act is amended —

(a)

by deleting the words “, market and food centres and of other” in the fifth and sixth lines of subsection (1) and in subsection (4) and substituting in each case the words “and of”;

(b)

by deleting subsection (5) and substituting the following subsection:

“(5) The Minister may, from time to time, prescribe the minimum amount of —

(a)	the conservancy and service charges which are paid, or are due and payable, or both, to a Town Council under section 38; and
(b)	any grants-in-aid made to a Town Council under section 41,

to be paid or credited into the sinking funds established for residential property and for commercial property.”;

(c)

by deleting the words “, market and food centres and other” in paragraph (a)(i) and (iii) of subsection (6) and substituting in each case the word “and”;

(d)

by inserting, immediately after subsection (6), the following subsection:

“(6A) Notwithstanding anything in this section, a Town Council may, with the approval of the Minister, disburse moneys from the Town Council Fund to repair and maintain any facility erected within the Town that is outside the common property of the residential and commercial property in the housing estates of the Board within the Town where the owner of the property on which the facility is erected consents.”;

(e)

by inserting, immediately before the definition of “designated land” in subsection (11), the following definition:

“ “commercial property” means any commercial property which does not form part of any residential property and includes any market and food centre;”;

(f)

by deleting the semicolon at the end of the definition of “designated land” in subsection (11) and substituting a full-stop; and

(g)

by deleting the definition of “other commercial property” in subsection (11).

Amendment of section 38

4. Section 38 of the principal Act is amended by deleting subsection (10) and substituting the following subsections:

“(10) A Town Council may under this section levy different rates of charges in respect of flats in any residential or commercial property or of stalls in any market or food centre of the Board in accordance with such criteria as it may determine.

(10A) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (10), a Town Council may differentiate the rates of charges to take into account any grants-in-aid made under section 41 which are expressed to be for the benefit of any class of owners of flats.”.

Savings

5.—(1) Any moneys held under or payable to the relevant funds established under section 33 of the principal Act immediately before the date of commencement of this Act in respect of market and food centres and of other commercial property shall on that date be transferred to the appropriate fund established under that section for commercial property.

(2) All expenses and liabilities properly attributable to the relevant funds established under section 33 of the principal Act immediately before the date of commencement of this Act in respect of market and food centres and of other commercial property shall on that date be transferred to the appropriate fund established under that section for commercial property.

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