Ratepayer shock at plan to merge Nillumbik and Banyule councils

A shock proposal to merge Nillumbik and Banyule councils has stirred up the public, with ratepayers questioning how it would affect the cost of rates, high-rise developments and the protection of Nillumbik’s prized Green Wedge zones.

Nillumbik’s Cr Peter Clarke is pushing an idea to merge Nillumbik and Banyule councils. Picture: Mark Wilson

Urban sprawl and the cost of rates are some of the key concerns raised by “stunned” ratepayers after a councillor’s shock proposal to merge Banyule and Nillumbik councils.

Nillumbik’s Cr Peter Clarke is pushing the idea and said amalgamating the city’s two northeastern councils would help the current debt situation plaguing both municipalities.

But a total of 312 people out of 441 who voted in a Leader poll said they would not support the move.

Richard Morris from Smiths Gully questioned how a merged council would affect development across Nillumbik.

“Banyule Council has different development overlays to Nillumbik — it’s more of a city council,” he said.

“The two council’s are diametrically opposed — as you drive towards Banyule you see cranes on the horizon, whereas out here in Smiths Gully you’ll cop a $3000 fine if you chop a tree down.

“So a merged council would have to continue to be fairly balanced on the area and what type of development should go where.”

Eltham’s Greg Johnson said the potential move would “set alarm bells ringing” throughout Nillumbik.

“It’s an appalling idea,” he said.

“Nillumbik Council was set up to be the Green Wedge Shire — we have huge rural areas and lands of environmental significance.

“I couldn’t imagine a merged council being able to continue to environmentally manage that amount of land.”

Eltham resident Sharon Bonga said she was concerned the cost of rates would rise.

“We wouldn’t be better off, local services would be made to merge and community buildings would be sold out from under us — local people employed by council could lose their livelihood,” she said.

Nillumbik and Banyule council boundaries. Image: VEC

But Cr Clarke assured ratepayers there would be no plan to increase the cost of rates under the potential merger.

“The premise to this is how can everyone be better off — no one should be worse off from this or else there is no point to the merger,” he said.

“I’ve had the idea for a long period of time — the chief executive at Banyule Council recently resigned, so for example, if we had a merged council that is a potential saving of a $350,000 salary for not needing to appoint someone new.

“This idea is all about how we can be better off financially and how we can get better policy outcomes.”

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While Nillumbik mayor Karen Egan was open to discussing the idea at council, she said her priority was being a voice for the rural parts of the municipality.

“They are already behind the eight ball as it is,” she said.

“Voters in the two rural wards are proportionally outweighed by the rest of the council and there is a desperately-growing need for infrastructure out here.

“We have people out in Hurstbridge for example going to use sports facilities in Doreen and Whittlesea — we need our facilities invested in and prioritised.”

Nillumbik mayor Karen Egan says her priority will be advocating for investment in infrastructure across the rural parts of the municpality. Picture: Tim Carrafa

Cr Clarke will put the initial motion to a Nillumbik Council meeting next Tuesday.

“If passed we will form working parities from both councils — we’ll pull together the facts and see what a merged council would look like,” Cr Clarke said.

“After that will be a public consultation process where we will address the public with a range of seminars and meetings.

“Then if the idea is still supported we will put it to the Victorian Electoral Commission and there will be a vote of ratepayers.”

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