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Have you ever felt that your local Council could not, or would not listen to you? The residents of one community in Melbourne's metropolitan west felt exactly that when their Council told them they had to pay vast sums of money to fix a stormwater drainage problem. Many had lived in the same home for over 50 years and wondered - "What problem". Brimbank Council officers ignored the protests of those who knew best - the people living there, and reiterated like a broken record that uphill properties damaged downhill properties. Council's officers could not objectively assess the degree of need, whether flow was "unreasonable" or even examine any less costly options. Brimbank Council has one and only one solution and it costs the most! The Victorian Local Government Act (as amended) allows all councils to fund capital works by legally forcing people to pay. The list can include building private streets, building drains, undergrounding of power and telecommunication lines, street beautification, strip shopping centre improvements, local parks and other things that may be declared over time. To do this, the Council must identify that someone gets a "benefit", whether the person believes it or not. If a group of properties get a benefit, they share in paying for the work with or without contribution from Council. Every commercial and private property in Brimbank can be subject to a special charges scheme that forces the owners to pay. You might wonder whether this Council and its paid professionals really understand public administration or public policy. Laws reflect the people's aspirations about the society and should be applied to meet the peoples benefit. |
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