Geelong council set to decide on Ocean Grove ‘special charge’ scheme to fund footpath project

A Bellarine ward councillor said it would have been “patently unfair” for some residents not to fork out extra charges for new footpaths, after fighting to reduce locals’ contribution to the scheme.

Geelong council will force more than 6000 households to pay a $333 special charge to pay for a footpath project, despite opposition from some councillors who labelled the move “a failure of council”.

The council met on Tuesday to consider a proposal to declare the Ocean Grove Principal Pedestrian Network Proposed Footpath Construction Special Charge Scheme, charging 6357 Ocean Grove properties a one-off fee of $476.95 to pay for a 24.3km network of new footpaths – covering 46 per cent of the project’s $6.5m price tag.

Cr Jim Mason sought to reduce Ocean Grove residents’ contribution to new footpaths. Picture: Mike Dugdale

But, a December update to the city’s Special Rates and Charges Policy allowed Cr Jim Mason to put forward an amended motion reducing the community’s contribution to 35 per cent of the project cost, at about $333 per household.

The alternate motion was accepted by a one councillor majority, then endorsed by a two councillor majority.

The decision to enact the special charge came despite councillor opposition, including Mayor Stephanie Asher’s claim she would seek to have the city fund the project.

Cr Asher was not present to vote at the meeting, as she is on a leave of absence while campaigning as the Liberal Party candidate for the federal seat of Corangamite.

Cr Mason argued it would be “patently unfair” for the city to cover the full cost of the project.

“It’s unfair on other ratepayers who have funded their own footpaths in the past through their own special rates and charges schemes or through already developed and paid for blocks,” Cr Mason said. “It’s unfair because it will create a difficult precedent and extra burden on the budget.”

“And it’s unfair on others in the Bellarine… where ratepayers have been waiting patiently for their turn, having agreed already to a principal pedestrian network, and they’ll have to wait even longer [if we do not pass this motion].”

Stephanie Asher missed the council vote after taking leave for her Corangamite federal election campaign. She had previously sought to prevent Ocean Grove residents from needing to pay for the footpaths and may have swung the vote in the other direction. Picture: Pam Hutchinson

Councillor Ron Nelson argued the council needed to abandon all special rates charges, and urged his colleagues to support the city funding the Ocean Grove project.

“I have a real problem with this SRC all together, and I think we should abandon all SRCs,” Cr Nelson said. “Footpaths are our core business and we should fund them as a matter of course.”

“It’s a failure of council and a failure of previous councils not to fund footpaths.

“I think we need to abandon this and fund footpaths out of council’s general budget, because that’s our core business.”

The council in March last year received almost 300 submissions after launching a formal engagement period into the Ocean Grove Principal Pedestrian Network Proposed Footpath Construction Special Charge Scheme.

City documents noted 124 submissions were “against” the special charge scheme, but did not provide a breakdown of the contents of the remaining submissions.

Ocean Grove footpath charge plan hits D-day

Geelong councillors will get their chance to ‘walk the walk’ this week, as they consider a move to force more than 6000 households to pay a $477 special charge to cover the costs of a footpath project following their own criticisms of the funding model.

The council will on Tuesday vote on a recommendation to declare the Ocean Grove Principal Pedestrian Network Proposed Footpath Construction Special Charge Scheme, charging 6357 Ocean Grove properties a one-off fee of $476.95 to pay for a 24.3km network of new footpaths.

Ocean Grove residents could face extra charges for footpaths. Picture: Alan Barber

The council group in September deferred making a decision on the scheme, which would see ratepayers stump up 46 per cent of the project’s $6.5m price tag.

The council last year ‘talked the talk’ when considering the move, with mayor and Bellarine Ward councillor Stephanie Asher saying it was the city’s “mistake” for not building the footpaths sooner, and claiming she would attempt to have the city fund the project.

“I don’t think it’s right that residents should be paying now for decisions that were poorly made decades ago,” Cr Asher said in March last year.

“(I’ll be) seeking that we can actually fund the money in the council budget to cover the cost.”

Cr Ron Nelson also said the city should “learn how to absorb that cost”, and labelled Ocean Grove’s lack of footpaths a “mistake that previous councils made back in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s”.

Deputy Mayor Trent Sullivan last year revealed the funding model of the project had “caused considerable tensions within the community and the council group”.

The Tuesday vote comes after the council in March last year voted in favour of moving ahead with the scheme and launching a formal engagement period which received 298 submissions.

City documents noted 124 submissions were “against” the special charge scheme, but did not provide a breakdown of the contents of the remaining submissions.

A report to councillors also noted the footpath project would not start construction before July 2023, as funding would be sought in the 2023-24 budget. Construction would then be expected to be completed within five years.

The city’s special rates and charges scheme will also feature in a separate agenda item at Tuesday’s council meeting, with a recommendation to finalise the $10.6m Elcho Basin and Drainage Channel Special Rates and Charges Scheme.

Property owners have contributed about $6m under the scheme to cover the costs of constructing a comprehensive wetland system, open channel, underground drainage and associated works at the Geelong Ring Road Employment Precinct (GREP) industrial estate in Lara.

Originally published as Geelong council set to decide on Ocean Grove ‘special charge’ scheme to fund footpath project