HORSHAM Rural City Council will support a Loddon Shire Council campaign to review firefighting infrastructure funding.
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Councils are worried they will have to pay for maintaining and renewal firefighting assets, which they cannot afford.
GWMWater liaised with councils in the past two years about the need to install extra tanks and hydrants for firefighting use.
The authority has funding for the project, and tank installation has started.
Horsham council technical services director John Martin said council officers from across the Wimmera and Mallee discussed issues associated with the extra infrastructure. He said a focus was the cost of ongoing maintenance and renewal.
“These costs represent an unreasonable burden for local government,” he said.
“It was also noted that the Fire Services Property Levy is intended to, among other things, fund firefighting infrastructure.
“Ratepayers contribute a significant amount to the levy, and it is appropriate some of this funding be used for maintenance and renewal of tanks and hydrants, the only source of water for firefighting in the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline area.”
Council will write to Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett, Water Minister Lisa Neville, and Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins about its concerns. Cr Tony Phelan said the maintenance of such infrastructure had been uncertain for some time.
“Sometimes the expectation is that the brigades do it, and sometimes it is that council does it,” he said.
“It needs to be defined.”
Cr Pam Clarke said councils should not foot the bill.
“City people have paid fire-fighters. We have volunteers, yet we pay a higher rate in the dollar,” she said.
“Our rate-payers are paying enough as it is, and they don’t need to have this burden as well.” Cr David Grimble said council did not have the capacity to maintain firefighting infrastructure.
He successfully moved a motion to table the issue at council’s next fire advisory committee meeting.