Record Funding available for Self Help

Landholders willing to contribute to half of the costs can apply, under Council’s Self-Help Policy, to maintain and upgrade road and transport infrastructure assets which are owned, managed or under the care and control of Council.

This policy was developed in response to requests from the public for a self-help policy for the maintenance and upgrading of transport infrastructure assets in the Shire that provide a benefit to individuals as well as to the broader community but which cannot be fully funded by Council.

Director of Engineering Services Ian Dinham explained the policy provides the opportunity to supplement public funds with private contributions to enable worthwhile projects to proceed.

“The Self-Help Policy sets out a framework to appraise applications fairly and consistently against self-help criteria and our strategic asset plans and programs, and provides the mechanisms to accept voluntary and private funds, donation of materials or other contributions, to support the maintenance or upgrading of road and transport infrastructure in our Shire,” he said.

With over 1,900km of unsealed rural roads and over 460km of sealed rural roads in the Shire, our rural road network is undeniably significant but it plays a critical role in the productivity of the Shire. As such, the focus of the Self-Help Policy is the rural road network.

This policy provides guidelines to enable voluntary contributions from individuals, groups and businesses and provides the mechanisms to allow Council to consider contributing up to 50% of the costs. Since the adoption of the policy, Council has set aside matching funding for the implementation of the Self-Help Policy in its annual budget. For the 2019-2020 financial year, an unprecedented amount of just over $500,000 has been set aside to provide funding for this policy and/or matching funding for road infrastructure grant funding opportunities.

General Manager Lester Rodgers explained that Council was cognisant of the challenges surrounding our Shire’s rural road network and hoped that the provision of greater funding for self-help initiatives would encourage more applications for self-help under the policy.

Further enquiries in relation to the Self Help policy, should be directed to Kylie Kerr on (02) 6757 3222.