Latrobe City can't decide whether to make 14 Moe residents pay $127,500 to seal two roads

Latrobe City is still mulling over whether to force 14 Moe residents to pay about $9,000 each to seal the roads they live on.

What happened: At a meeting in late July, Latrobe City councillors voted to defer a decision that would have asked the property owners on Pindari and Kandra roads to fund a quarter of the $510,000 needed to seal their streets.

In April last year, the council sent notices to the property owners, informing them of the plan to introduce a new charge scheme that would see them pick up $127,500 of the sealing bill.

The council received five submissions as part of the community consultation process - three in favour and two against.

Supporters of the works claimed the dust from the roads was making life miserable for residents and delay would only push the costs of the works up.

Councillor Adele Pugsley agreed with the supporters, saying she had visited the roads in summer and experienced the quantity of dust that was created from vehicles driving down the street.

Councillor Leanne Potter led the opposition, saying more residents had come out against the mandate than in favour.

• "People choose to live on roads like that because they like that rural feel … I personally leave the bitumen behind a long time before I get home, and I like it that way."

In the end, the council voted 5-3 to defer the decision to the next council meeting on August 24.