Businesses face bigger bills

LODDON Shire Council last year issued 15 permits for businesses to have signs and goods on local town footpaths. Operations director Steven Phillips said permits”are largely issued in response to enquiries that are received”.

Last week, dozens of Loddon businesses received a letter from council advising compliance costs if they wanted to use the footpath to promote their stores.

Under new fees, an advertising sign will cost $56.70 a year, a permit to display goods for sale the same fee and $20 for each table and $10 a chair, council told the Loddon Herald.

It said there would be no fee for wind barriers, umbrellas and patio heaters.

In 2022-2023, the fees were set at $54.80 while businesses were charged a flat $28.90 for tables and chairs.

“(This was) regardless of the number of tables and chairs a proprietor placed

In Brief

Track crash

V/LINE is investigating a collision between track maintenance vehicles at Mitiamo at about 4am last Thursday. Two workers were injured in the incident and were taken to hospital but later released. A third staff member was shaken, but uninjured. V/Line has commenced an internal investigation. Cranes have removed the vehicles from the track. The track was inspected and certified safe and trains resumed travelling the track later on Thursday. “V/Line has advised the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator and WorkSafe and will assist with any investigations into the incident,” a spokesperson said.

Channel works

Loddon Shire said it would work with businesses “in an effort to find a suitable solution that takes into account all the different user’s needs as well as compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.”

However, Catherine said the council’s decision to crack down on footpath permits had shown a lack of common sense.

GOULBURN Murray Water said it had treated weeds across 200km of 250km channels in maintenance works and removed silt from more than 30km as part of the major refurbishment of Waranga Western and Murray Valley Channels, Works are due to be finished next month.

Hanging up

THE STATE Government will ban the telemarketing of products under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program, outside. For example, a business with just one table and chair setting was charged the same fee as a business which placed four table and chair settings,” he said.

In comparison, traders in Australia’s first notable town Maldon, in Mount Alexander Shire, pay $68.30 a sign, $107.60 to display goods for display and $6 for each table, umbrella and pots or plants.

Mount Alexander charges $22.80 for each outdoor seat at unlicensed premises and $29 for licensed businesses.

STOP PRESS: The Loddon Herald understands footpath permit fees will be discussed by Loddon Shire councillors at their monthly meeting in Wedderburn next Tuesday after an agenda item was submitted to review previously-adopted fees.

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