Wyndham council has denied that millions of dollars in developer contributions for Point Cook were overlooked or went missing, claiming the money has always been reflected in the council budget.
In a social media post last week, Wyndham councillor Susan McIntyre claimed $36.16 million in legacy developer contributions had been ‘unlocked’ for Point Cook following an investigation by council officers.
Hailing it as a “ great result for our community” Cr McIntyre said the investigation came about after she inquired how much money in developer contributions remained for Point Cook while seeking funding for the redevelopment of the Jamieson Way sports hall in August 2021.
News that nearly $40 million in unspent money had been discovered for Point Cook led to other social media users questioning council’s accounting and speculating as to what the surplus money could be spent on.
Both Wyndham council and Cr McIntyre have since been forced to clarify how the surplus of developer contributions came about.
“Wyndham City’s budget has always reflected unspent developer contribution moneys
collected for Point Cook,” said a spokesperson for Wyndham council.
According to council, the surplus, which was built up over 20 years, was due to a number of factors including:
VicRoads funding some road upgrades that developer contributions were collected to fund; some projects not being able to proceed due to insufficient land being available or underground pipelines unable to be relocated; projects coming in under budget.
The spokesperson said these factors were not considered when plans were initially drafted more than 20 years ago, but assured Point Cook residents that they had not been short changed.
“Wyndham City has always met its obligations to deliver community centres and recreation
facilities in Point Cook and will continue to do so.”
As for how the money will now be spent, legal advice provided to Wyndham council indicates that it can be used to fund any type of infrastructure as long it’s in Point Cook, the same area where it was collected.
The council spokesperson said Point Cook residents would know more soon.
“Wyndham City is currently considering which community and infrastructure projects in
Point Cook this money will be allocated to, some of which will be announced in the
upcoming 2024/25 Council Budget.”
Cr McIntyre was contacted for comment.
