CASEY Council maintains “innocent” ratepayers should not bear the brunt of the financial burden following the methane gas mess at Brookland Greens.
Casey mayor Geoff Ablett has requested the State Government chip in $35.6 million to help ease the $60 million burden the council faced due to ongoing mitigation works at the closed Stevensons Road landfill, after some residents evacuated the estate when dangerous levels of methane were found in some homes in September last year.
Cr Ablett said the request was made because the council relied upon the expert advice of various State Government authorities during the management of the Cranbourne landfill, including the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) that copped much of the blame in the Ombudsman’s report last month.
“The total burden shouldn’t lie with the City of Casey,” Cr Ablett said.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in 2004 over-ruled the council’s decision to allow development to occur up to the landfill boundary.
The council had already refused the planning application to develop past the 200-metre buffer.
Council had a “good chat” with Minister Gavin Jennings recently to discuss the State Government footing part of the bill, Cr Ablett said.
“I think we left with an understanding that a number of parties played a role.”
If the State Government did not help the council with its financial requests, ratepayers could lose out, Cr Ablett said.
By the end of December the council would have spent $40 million on the landfill, he said.
Casey’s manager of waste services Michael Jansen said monitoring at the closed landfill would be ongoing for the next 20 to 40 years.
“We will never be able to walk away from it,” Mr Jansen said.
– Bridget Brady
