Melton council will trial a free snake removal program following calls from concerned residents.
Councillors unanimously voted in favour of the five-month trial at last week’s council meeting. It is expected to cost about $15,000.
The decision comes two months after Cr Lara Carli’s calls for the council to invest money in a free snake removal program for residents, who can pay between $150 and $250 for private snake catchers.
The Watts ward councillor said she was grinning from “ear-to-ear, doing a happy dance” as the motion passed in the council chambers.
“The residents who are in my ward are concerned about snakes appearing in their front or backyards,” she said.
“Council should be providing this service – we pay high rates as it is and this service should be included, there’s no question about that.”
Council officers will report back to councillors in August about the details of the trial, including the number of people who have accessed the service, number of snakes removed and the cost of each visit.
“It is noted there is some demand in the community for such a service based on calls received by council seeking such assistance,” a council report states.
“The preventive actions by landowners will generally be far more effective than relying on a removal program once the presence of a snake is identified.
“Much of the argument about such a program is that it will enhance community safety, whereas in fact it will have little impact in this regard as in most instances snake bites to animals and humans most commonly occur before the presence of a snake is identified.”
The council received about 50 calls in the past two summers for assistance with snake removal, the report stated.
But it said the number of calls was expected to increase “dramatically” when council offered the free service.
Wyndham council is the only other council in the region that provides a free snake removal program.
