Councillors have narrowly voted down an effort to restore Wyndham’s free snake removal service on private properties.
The service will cease after September 1 after council announced there were no snakes at 77 per cent of call outs.
Cr Peter Maynard, who raised the notice of motion to restore the service at the August 26 council meeting, spoke to its importance in the chamber.
“Providing a free snake service ensures it is equitably applied across our community – not in certain areas, but over the whole community,” Cr Maynard said.
“It does not account to one dollar per resident, much less, if everyone uses it and we know they don’t.
“We obviously need to be frugal but on this occasion we must also consider safety.”
Cr Maria King called it a waste.
“As a resident who lives near the [Werribee] River, I can honestly say I have one blue tongue lizard,” she said.
“Absolute waste of resources when there’s just so much more than a random snake here and there [to fund].”
Cr Josh Gilligan added venom into the debate, calling the service “a great rort”.
“The great, big fat lie about this motion is that it is free – it ain’t free,” Cr Gilligan said.
“It isn’t a free snake catcher because in the overwhelming majority of these cases there was no snake there.
“We shouldn’t have private contractors lining their pockets into the future.”
Cr Gilligan also claimed other councillors did not read all their briefings.
Councillor Larry Zhao said he supported keeping the service.
“I don’t see this issue as a snake issue, I see it as a human issue,” Cr Zhao said.
“I don’t see the 77 per cent, I see the 23 per cent of people have something happen in their backyard.”
In his right of reply, Cr Maynard disputed Cr Gilligan’s claim that some in the chamber weren’t doing their homework.
“I can certainly assure Cr Gilligan … that I read everything,” Cr Maynard said.
“I even spell check documents.”
Mayor Mia Shaw had to interject several times when Cr Gilligan and Cr Maynard made several verbal exchanges across the chamber.
The motion lost six to five.
