General News
3 May, 2026
ROAD CASH DITCH
GOVERNMENTS have been blasted for pulling almost $2 million in road funding from Loddon Shire mid-way through a five-year program.
GOVERNMENTS have been blasted for pulling almost $2 million in road funding from Loddon Shire mid-way through a five-year program.
Council has been forced to adjust its budget after being told they must wait two years to regain the funds.
“(It) won’t be the same value because of increased costs,” Cr Miki Wilson told Tuesday’s council meeting.
“It’s a disgrace to do this to local government, to the community. Projects have been planned and the communities were looking forward (to the work).”
Cr Wilson said the loss of $896,468 this financial year and again in 2026-2027 through the Roads to Recovery program was taking money from the public “with the promise we will get it back”.
Operations director Steve van Orsouw said council had been told of funding changes in February. “This material change in funding late in the financial year requires rebalancing of the 2025-2026 annual infrastructure program to enable the delivery of all projects that are under contract or form part of this year’s program.”
Mr van Orsouw said the reduction of allocations for two years had been a “reprofiling of funding”.
Cr Wilson quipped: “What a fantastic new word in the lexicon”.
According to Mr van Orsouw: “Council officers have identified a need to reallocate funding between projects due to the requirement to balance the funding expenditure between council funded and grant funded projects. “
Cr Nick Angelo said officers had been forced to do “shuffling to make things happen”.
Mr van Orsouw said Staff are currently working to adjust the program which is to be presented to council.
Project changes proposed were part of a confidential document to councillors.
However, Mr van Orsouw did report that projects “which can be rescoped or deferred to accommodate the impact. In future years, projects with reduced scope or which have been deferred will be reallocated”.
Councillors accepted his recommendation to approve re-allocation funding for projects this financial year.
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