Melton councillors are expected to write to the state government seeking clarification over the future of Diggers Rest.
The recent Sunbury-out-of-Hume panel report recommended future consultation with Diggers Rest residents on whether they wished to become part of the Sunbury municipality.
The state government has accepted the recommendation.
But council chief executive Kelvin Tori said the timeline and process for consultation were unclear. “Will the consultation mean a vote, a referendum, a vote just for the Diggers Rest community, or will one be conducted over the whole of Melton?” he asked.
At last week’s council meeting, Mr Tori urged all councillors to write to Local Government Minister Tim Bull and seek advice on what the process will be.
Mr Bull said consideration to include Diggers Rest in the new municipality was not “imminent”.
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“The government understands there’s a view held by some Diggers Rest residents that they share a stronger sense of community of interest with Sunbury than Melton,” he said.
But Diggers Rest Residents Association president Bob Rau dismissed the recommendation, calling it a “political ploy just ahead of the November 29 state election”.
“It’s purely an exercise in procuring numbers for the Sunbury municipality,” Mr Rau said.
“We’re concerned there will be inevitable rate increases in the new municipality of quite steep proportions. I cannot perceive any benefits whatsoever.”
Mr Rau said that despite the geographical proximity of Sunbury to Diggers Rest, he did not believe service delivery would be efficient if the town was included in the
new municipality.
“The service delivery has improved in Diggers Rest over the past decade,” he said. “There will be inevitable disruption to that [if Diggers Rest is moved].”
Mr Tori wants to see Diggers Rest left in Melton and says community sessions held by a ministerial panel indicated the people of the suburb favour staying in Melton.
