Residents push for more hills cash

By DANIELLE GALVIN
CARDINIA Shire Council should “go back to the basics” and spend more cash in rural areas, according to concerned Dandenongs residents.
They recently met in Cockatoo to discuss the draft budget, which was released in early May.
Cockatoo Township Committee’s Owen Deppeler attended the meeting and said representatives from Beaconsfield, Gembrook, Cockatoo and Emerald were present.
“We try to meet reasonably regularly to see how the various regional towns are coping with things,” he said.
“This meeting was called to focus on what was in the budget.”
Mr Deppeler congratulated the council on its presentation of the 2012-13 budget.
“It’s been the easiest one to read,” he said.
Hills residents at the 31 May meeting, which was held at Cockatoo’s Southern Health, agreed that the council’s $400,000 budget for footpaths across the shire was inadequate, a sentiment Cardinia Residents and Ratepayers Association president Gloria O’Connor echoed.
“What we have in the hills is people walking on busy roads because there are no other options,” Mr Deppeler said.
“The council might need to source different funding for the footpath program – it is a major expense throughout the shire.”
He said the other issue discussed at the meeting was weed control in the hills.
“It has been ideal growing conditions for weeds and it’s a high fire risk – I would have thought that would have been an obvious thing to be highlighted in the budget.”
Mr Deppeler said the council could have applied to the State Government for extra weed control funding.
“There is only so much money that they have to spend but they didn’t apply for additional funding from the State Government when there was an opportunity to do so,” he said.
Ms O’Connor also attended the meeting and said she believed many residents were concerned that the council should be getting back to basics and focusing on clearing drains, roads maintenance, and the need for footpaths.
“Each ward is likely to elicit a different response to budget spending priority as there are unique areas of need,” she said.
“A large part of the shire is rural which must not be be overlooked, but the urban area is growing rapidly and that is where the main spending focus is.
“Despite what they say, say I don’t think the council have their priorities right in balancing the needs of the growth corridor and in the rural towns.
“I recognise that council has more requests for spending than they can cover in one financial year, but people in rural areas pay equal rates to those in the growing areas so they should receive a fair return for their rates paid.”
A special council meeting will be held at the shire offices in Pakenham on Tuesday 12 June at 7pm for residents to respond to the draft budget.
Councillor Collin Ross weighed in on the draft budget debate and said he would not support a rate rise above the CPI.
“I’m putting my vote where my mouth is – like I have done for the past four years in a row,” he said.
“I need at least three other councillors to support my position, which I move every year.”
Cr Ross said a rate rise was not needed and council rates were inside the council’s control.
“I’m speaking on behalf of residents and I’m their only voice in council,” he said.