Property owners in Willis Street, Portarlington will pay $14,000 each to co-fund the sealing of the road through a Special Rate and Charge (SRC) Scheme.
Geelong council declared the Willis Street SRC at its August meeting, which will see the 27 property owners collectively contribute $378,591.75 of the project’s total cost of $504,789.
The owners of the properties between Brown and Harding Streets were consulted about the project in August last year after the council received a petition requesting the road upgrade in February 2024.
The City received responses from 16 of the 27 property owners, with 13 in support of the project and SRC and three opposing it.
Murradoc Ward councillor Rowan Story, who introduced the report to the council, said the project would improve the service provided by the street.
“Sealing this section of road will improve amenity, road safety, and limit the impacts from dust, mud and stone scatter to the adjacent properties,” Cr Story said.
“Special Charge schemes enable the City to partner with residents to deliver meaningful improvements that respond directly to the needs of property owners and the broader community.”
Connewarre Ward councillor Elise Wilkinson emphasised that people who were concerned about being able to pay their contributions to SRCs could seek solutions with the City.
“This can actually be quite a challenging process, while it is a very beneficial one in terms of getting really good work done across our city,” Cr Wilkinson said.
“But if people are experiencing financial stress, they are able to avail themselves of our hardship policy and (I) encourage them to make contact if payment of this is difficult.”
