Noisy neighbours, graffiti, discarded syringes and littering are among pet peeves of Brimbank residents, while animal annoyances are also driving residents barking mad.
Residents made almost 55,000 ‘service requests’ (aka complaints) to the Brimbank council between 2010-14 relating to noisy neighbours, property being defaced by graffiti, dumped rubbish, discarded syringes, nuisance pets (including barking dogs, snakes, and roaming animals), and other wildlife problems.
A total 3278 service requests have been lodged this year alone, with 1528 relating to pets and other animals.
City development director Stuart Menzies said Brimbank council employed a range of proactive and reactive services to stem the tide of service requests and complaints.
Mr Menzies said that as well as a household drop-off facility, the council had a rapid response unit to pick up dumped rubbish, carry out local clean-ups and remove dumped syringes found on council-managed land within an hour of a report.
He said the council also removed graffiti from its properties and regularly offered redeemable vouchers for graffiti removal supplies for residents needing to remove graffiti from private properties.
“We continue to proactively remove graffiti from 30 identified priority sites across the municipality, with inspection and removal on a fortnightly and, in some cases, a weekly basis,” he said.
“These sites are throughout the municipality and change continually depending on the demand.”
In some cases, particularly regarding pets and noise complaints, residents have been slapped with fines or taken to court if they continue to flout laws and restrictions.
Last year, the council issued 1052 fines as a result of residents’ complaints, while court action was taken in relation to 127 matters, not including parking infringements.
Residents can report dumped rubbish, fallen trees, graffiti and other concerns, and can send pictures through the My Brimbank app, which can be downloaded on the iTunes app store or Google play store, or they can call customer service on 9249 4000.
