Community groups can now apply for a $5,000 rebate as part of Coliban Water’s Community Rebate program.
Executive General Manager Customer, Community and Stakeholder Affairs Lauren McLean said the Community Rebates program is paid when towns experience service that is lower than a nominated standard; such as significant sewer spills, ongoing poor water pressure or a water quality issue.
“We currently have Community Rebates open in Gunbower, Bealiba, Lockington, Leitchville, Echuca, Cohuna and Elmore. Groups in these communities can apply for a rebate of $5,000 to be paid towards a community project of their choice.
“The program was introduced as part of the 2018 Pricing Submission, in which we committed to paying Customer and Community Rebates when we failed to meet nominated service standards,” Ms McLean said.
Data on service performance is reviewed monthly to identify whether there may be rebates payable, and then a community nomination period begins.
In 2020 the Boort Resource and Information Centre received a $5,000 rebate due to poor water quality event experienced in the township.
Boort Resource and Information Centre Manager Sophia Herrington said the centre has been able to make a valuable impact in the community, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, with this rebate.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic to have some extra funds in the last few years to really give a boost and some fun community engagement in our district.
“One project was our Freckle Project. We made huge chocolate freckles and posted them to every household in the area, encouraging them to take a break and share some joy together while in lockdown.
“We’ve also provided pizzas to the youth in a special get together, held a virtual Easter egg hunt, sent bunches of flowers to every resident at the local aged care facility and provided packets of seeds to every student at the local school to share with someone special on Mother’s Day,” Ms Herrington said.
To reduce the occurrence of lower service levels, we’re investing millions of dollars every year into projects to improve water pressure, making our water treatment plants more robust and resilient, and minimising sewer spills.
Every year we spend $1 million on our Stop the Block program, a dedicated sewer maintenance and blockage prevention program, which has resulted in a dramatic drop in sewer blockages.
But from time to time there will be unforeseen disruptions to service or issues that mean we’re not meeting our standards, and in these situations, we make Community Rebates available.
Current preparations for the 2023 Pricing Submission Process are underway where we are investigating the right levels of service, investment and pricing for the next five years.
“It is vital that we hear from the voices of the community when considering our next pricing submission.
“We are in the middle of conversations with our Community Panel, where we are asking participants to consider the right balance between preparing for tomorrow while being fair to customers today.
“If you’re not a participant on the panel, we still want to hear from you. You can visit Connect Coliban, our online engagement platform, to have your say,” Ms McLean said.
The current round of Community Rebates is open until 2 May 2022. Details on how to apply are available at Connect Coliban.
You can learn more and have your say about Pricing Submission 2023, by visiting our Pricing Submission page.
Last updated on 09 Mar 2022