BAW Baw mayor Murray Cook insists the council’s new Roads and Drains Committee will improve its response to damage despite no new repair funding increases being announced.
The committee will feature eight members, four from the general public, who will advise Baw Baw’s councillors of the state of roads and drains in the shire
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Cr Cook told The Warragul Citizen the committee will bring local knowledge to the council’s professionals.
“The main thrust of [this] advisory committee… is to bring in local knowledge to help the professions that work on our staff that (the locals) know exactly what the conditions are here over a period of time (sic),” Cr Cook said.
But Cr Cook acknowledged funding is required for anything to happen.
“Nothing happens unless we provide funds, and that’s why we’re working through the budget now to make sure that we have the funds to implement what decision are made,” Cr Cook said.
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The Warragul Citizen about the committee:
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“The decisions are made by council but the advisory groups will add to the information that can help us to make informed decisions.
“I think it’s a big step for roads because… we know there is (sic) experienced and skilled people in the community and it will be at no cost to council.
“Volunteerism… is the backbone of rural communities and this is another way of encouraging such people to come forward.”
The council is presently calling for community members to express interest in joining the committee.
what a joke. Funny how less than a week later Mayor Cook found the money ($161,000) to fund a contractor to do a roads survey. Why not give that money to this committee to prioritise problems that need fixing!! How patronising this is to pre-empt the community committee (that hasn’t even been appointed yet) by getting in a consultant to do the work. That’s not sic – that’s sick.