By Olivia Condous
Melton council has withdrawn funding for a project that was committed four years ago after a heated debate in a meeting last week.
In 2018, the council approved $2.1 million in their budget to fully fund a sound wall at Silverdale Estate in Brookfield.
However, further scoping works after the funding was budgeted revealed the cost of the sound wall project would actually amount to $6.3 million in order to comply with Department of Transport standards.
In a meeting on June 20, Melton councillors engaged in a debate on what should be done with the insufficient funds allocated to the project.
While a motion on the issue provided three options on what to do with the money, including adding an additional $4.2 million to fully fund the project or removing the budgeted funds completely, councillor Sophie Ramsey moved to hold the funds in reserve to contribute to possible future Department of Transport funding.
Cr Ramsey moved the motion on the basis that council should not set a precedent of breaking promises made to residents.
“We, as a council for the 21 years that I’ve been on, have never budgeted an item and then when there’s been a change in council come along and taken that money out of the budget,
“We’ve never done that,” Cr Ramsey said.
“I think it’s a low blow for our community that has been waiting since December 2018 for this soundwall.”
Councillors Lara Carli, Moira Deeming, Steve Abboushi and mayor Goran Kesic voted against the motion to hold the budgeted funds in reserve.
Cr Carli argued it was “irresponsible” to hold onto the money and that the responsibility of the sound wall should be left entirely up to the state government to provide.
“By leaving these funds in the budget, I believe that we are giving the residents of Silverdale estate false hope,” she said.
“It’s not only Silverdale estate that is in need of a sound wall along the freeway, there’s also also need in Diggers Rest, Punjil Drive and Rockbank,
“Are we going to also pay for sound walls for those residents who are also suffering?”
A recommended motion to remove the remaining funding for the sound wall and continue to advocate for government investment for the provision of sound walls along freeway corridors was carried, with Cr Carli, Cr Deeming, Cr Kesic, Cr Shannon and Cr Abboushi voting in favour.
