Horsham Rural City Council hosted a community consultation meeting with the district’s residents on July 23 where mobile phone coverage was a significant discussion point. More than 30 people attended. 

Council’s chief executive Sunil Bhalla said mobile phone signal was a clear concern for resident, which the council was already aware of.

He said the council has spent decades advocating to higher levels of government to remove black spots. 

“Residents reported that from Clear Lake they can actually see the tower at Mount Arapiles but the signal is not satisfactory,” he said.

“We know there are some issues with shadowing and the television signal is also an issue.

“We will continue (to advocate), but we will also do some of our own investigations to help speed up the process.”

Also mentioned were the residents concerns about the grading of rural roads.

A resident asked whether gravel roads could be graded more often, particularly as modern cropping operations mean farmers need year-round access to roads.

Technical services director John Martin said the moisture content of gravel roads often prevented grading works from proceeding. He said overgrowth of roadside vegetation also presented a challenge.  

“Gravel roads cannot be effectively be graded when they are dry, as the road material turns to dust and quickly disappears,” he said. 

“The slightly higher rainfall in that area means that trees grow rapidly in the road reserves, and encroach onto the road formation.

“This reduces the ability of farmers to move wide machinery around the district, and can cause safety issues in some locations.”

Other problems discussed were wandering dogs, gas bottle thefts, the upkeep of public toilets, untidy properties and funding to maintain Noradjuha Reserve.