Items currently out for a period of public consultation
Draft Road Upgrade Cost Sharing Policy
Council is presently seeking feedback on the Draft Road Upgrade Cost Sharing Policy.
What’s it about
Contrary to the headline and article published in the Yorke Peninsula Country Times on April 30, 2024, the Draft Road Upgrade Cost Sharing Policy is not geared towards cutting road maintenance expenses. Instead, its aim is to establish a structured approach for addressing requests for urgent road upgrades in areas that predominantly benefit a minority of ratepayers.
To illustrate, let's consider a scenario where a small group of ratepayers urgently need a road upgrade from an unsealed road to sealed road. This upgrade, estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, is crucial for the small group of ratepayers, yet the road serves no other ratepayers besides them. If such an upgrade isn't factored within the Council’s budget for the next five years, this policy facilitates collaboration between the farmers and the council to expedite the upgrade.
Under the proposed draft, the council would contribute fifty percent of the upgrade costs, with the benefiting ratepayers covering the remaining fifty percent. Historically, such requests might not have received serious consideration from the council.
This draft policy wouldn't prevent ratepayers from requesting upgrades fully funded by the Council. It's worth noting that the council currently has over $500,000 of such requests under consideration through its budget and long-term financial planning processes.
The consultation process
The consultation on the draft policy will remain open until the end of June, and staff will directly approach stakeholders who may be interested in supporting or opposing this draft policy. The draft policy will also feature in Council’s midyear newsletter which will include a feedback form so people can provide comment about the draft policy direct to council.
Draft Road Upgrade Cost Sharing Policy
Consultation closes Friday 28 June 2024 5pm
Feedback can be provided by one of the following means:
Website: Customer request/feedback form please be sure to clearly specify what you are providing comment on
Email: Email any submissions to barunga@barungawest.sa.gov.au
Mail: Mail any submissions to Barunga West Council, PO Box 3, PORT BROUGHTON, SA, 5522.
Acknowledgement of feedback:
Council will acknowledge the receipt of your feedback, generally via email, or in some circumstances via letter.
What happens with your feedback:
All feedback is provided to Council along with a report. Council will then consider the feedback provided when making decisions moving forward regarding the matter.
For further information please contact CEO, Maree Wauchope on (08) 8635 2107 or via email barunga@barungawest.sa.gov.au