Seal of disapproval

MY view is that the City of Casey has a bumpy road ahead with its plan to seal the section of Dalmore Road between the municipal boundary and the South Gippsland Highway.
The council has agreed to start the process of a special charge scheme on a costing of half each between the council and abutting property owners, with the estimated cost at $615,000.
This would be $310,000 if Casey used the roadmaking formula adopted by the Shire of Cardinia.
However, we may end up with an announcement that it can’t be done because the figures don’t stack up.
Balla Balla Ward councillor Colin Butler and others said the section of road within Casey was 750 metres, but I measured the section at 1050 metres.
Casey manager of engineering services David Richardson said in a report to the council that road making cost about $700,000 a kilometre.
Depending on whose measurement is right, the council may need another $85,000 for its section of Dalmore Road.
Cr Butler said there were six properties abutting the road.
This means the property owners will share the half cost of $615,000 or perhaps $700,000, amounting to an average of more than $100,000.
However, the council in January 2002 placed a cap of $7700, plus the consumer price index (CPI), on the amount that abutting landowners would be asked to pay.
This stands at $8380 this year so on this basis the council is facing a large shortfall from the abutting owner contribution.
Abutting owners along Manks Road refused to pay the contribution, which meant the road was not sealed, and I can see this pattern emerging for the Dalmore Road owners.
Strong reasons given for their refusal to pay was that the Cardinia Shire policy was to pay 100 per cent of the sealing cost and that Manks Road was a main road widely used by the community.
Why should they pay?
The way out for Casey may be to use Cardinia’s roadmaking formula to reduce the cost to a little more than half, but get a lesser standard road.
The rough options are that Casey faces the prospect of building the road according to its own roadmaking policy under an unpopular special charge scheme or to rule under special dispensation that because the road adjoins a neighbouring municipality it is made according to that council’s policy.
The issue is bound to provide a hot topic for Casey councillors.