A group of Bellarine residents will receive the new street surface they have asked for, at a price.
Geelong council announced its intention to declare a Special Charge Scheme (SRC) to fund the construction and sealing of Elgin Street in Drysdale.
Property owners will fund more than $386,000, or 73 per cent, of the estimated $529,835.83 required to complete the works.
Under the council’s proposed SRC, each owner on Elgin Street will contribute $9669.50 per property, regardless of frontage, site value or the assessed amenity value.
Of the 25 property owners who responded to the City’s survey, 15 supported the SRC, with eight of those preferring the equal share approach.
Councillor Rowan Story said the proposed construction and sealing works had been developed in response to complaints and a petition received from residents requesting to seal the road.
“Sealing the road will improve amenity, road safety, and limit the impacts from dust, mud, and stone scattered to adjacent properties,” he said.
“Special charges are a key source of revenue for council civil infrastructure construction programs and they enable the timely delivery of community requested infrastructure that provides a higher level of service than currently available and deliverable with existing capital budgets.”
Councillor Trent Sullivan said he was “not necessarily a fan” of SRCs, but he saw the need for them in the community.
“And clearly so do the residents of Elgin Street, as we do have a majority of support from the properties there as well. Elgin Street is only really parallel just behind High Street, near the centre of Drysdale,” he said.
