Gerald Lynch
Brimbank council is set to terminate its Municipal Maintenance Agreement (MMA) with the Department of Transport (DTP) after the DTP opted to not increase its financial contribution to the maintenance of state roads in Brimbank.
Brimbank council heard back from state government regarding its wishes for a more even split of road maintenance funding at the end of June, but the result is bad news for ratepayers.
Council’s total annual spend to deliver the MMA is about $475,000 excluding GST. The DTP contributes $109,090, leaving a net cost to council of about $355,000.
Councillor Virginia Tachos said the MMA is no longer serving a purpose for residents.
“Given that the state government is not providing increased contributions towards council maintenance of state roads within Brimbank, this creates further financial burden on our ratepayers to maintain state owned assets,” she said.
“They’re [state government] covering less than a quarter of the costs of the road maintenance … meaning our resources have to be taken away from our roads and infrastructure.”
Council entered into the MMA with DTP in 2014, whereby council took over specified maintenance responsibility such as grass mowing, edge trimming, weed control, and other associated works for those parts of the urban arterial road network for which DTP is the responsible road authority.
The MMA covers urban arterial roads north of Ballarat Road, while those south of Ballarat Road continue to be maintained by DTP’s contractor, Ventia.
Council will now provide six months’ notice of its decision to hand back responsibility for these services, in accordance with the termination clause set out in the MMA.
It will also publish DTP’s contact details on its website to direct all state road maintenance enquiries directly to the state government.
Western Metropolitan MP Trung Luu went in to bat for council during question time in state Parliament back in May.
“This council cannot possibly afford to cover more than three-quarters of the cost under the municipality maintenance agreement any longer,” he said.
“The serviceability of these road assets is essential to assure connectivity and safety for Victorians, especially for those in my electorate who use the roads daily.”
A state government spokesperson said “We work with councils across Victoria to ensure the maintenance of state-government owned roads meets our standards.
“We’ll continue to work with the Brimbank City Council and the local community to make sure these roads remain safe.”
