Rubbish collections from the Port Fairy cemetery will be reinstated pending a report into Moyne shire’s waste services after concerns were raised that grieving families might face increased prices for graves as a result.
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The shire halted collections last month, putting the cemetery on notice that it would charge $150 for the service previously provided free of charge.
The Port Fairy Cemetery Trust says it can’t afford to pay for collections and could be forced to raise the price of graves to cover costs as it run by volunteers and reliant on government grants and community donations.
Trust president Malcolm Chamberlain accused the council of having “no sense of community spirit”.
“We are constantly looking at our costings. We may have to look at putting up the cost of graves,” Mr Chamberlain said.
He said half of all plot fees were required to be paid into future maintenance and land acquisition funds, with most of the balance for a gardener and a grave digger.
“There is virtually nothing left,” he said.
Mr Chamberlain said trustees of the designated Commonwealth War Graves cemetery donated much of their own time cleaning toilets, tidying the grounds and providing temporary grave markers.
On Tuesday night, councillors called for a complete audit of collections from non-council-owned land. Moyne Shire director of sustainable development Oliver Moles said the report would examine what arrangements were currently in place for entities such as cemeteries, halls and ovals and recommend the most suitable future arrangements. The report is expected to be put to the vote at council’s February 26 meeting. In the meantime, collections would resume under previous arrangements.
Council wrote to the trust last month advising it would stop emptying the cemetery’s four bins from December 21, adding future collections could be arranged at a cost of $150 per collection, the trust could engage a private operator, trust members take bins to a transfer station or cemetery visitors take their rubbish with them.
Trust senior vice-president Maria Cameron vowed to fight the fee “tooth and nail”: “Are they going to charge other non-council bodies like the police, ambulance or SES to collect their rubbish?” she asked.
Mr Moles said the cemetery issue had come to light after a public bin audit and a change of crew on the collection run.
“Our first step is for council to decide amongst our community can we service all of these bodies, or should they enter into their own arrangements with a private contractor,” he said.
“It’s all about continuous improvement of services.”
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