By Cam Lucadou-Wells
CASEY Council will lobby for the State Government to pay its “fair” share of the municipality’s $2.7 million annual bill for school crossing supervisors.
Set to pay more than $2.1 million of the cost, Casey will seek a 50:50 split between the government and the council.
The State Government and local councils originally paid 50:50 when the school crossing program was pitched in 1975, according to a council report on 6 December.
Cost-shifting of supervisors’ higher salaries, Working With Children checks, HR overheads had since been bourne by councils, the report stated.
A 2015 Municipal Association of Victoria report states the original balance was 66:33 – with the Victorian Government as the chief contributor.
It stated there needed to be a “fairer deal” for councils – which on average were picking up 80 per cent of the tab.
Councillor Geoff Ablett said the State Government should pick up the whole tab given education was a “State portfolio”.
Community safety manager Caroline Bell told the meeting that the council would embark on a “significant advocacy campaign” of six to 12 months to VicRoads and the government.
Chief executive Mike Tyler said several councils were seeking similar redress.
On 6 December, the council announced an additional supervised crossing for 2017 at Skyline Way, Berwick, to make a total of 163 in the municipality.
Two sites will be removed on Matthew Flinders Avenue and Amalfi Drive, Endeavour Hills, due to a lack of pedestrian use, the council stated.
Casey will review proposed sites at Bowyer Avenue, Cranbourne East; Merrowland Avenue, Cranbourne North; Aylmer Road, Lynbrook; and Heather Grove, Cranbourne East.
