Warrnambool City and Corangamite Shire councils are marking 10 years of collaboration on joint road resealing contracts, a partnership that is estimated to have saved Warrnambool ratepayers about $900,000 while also providing significant savings in Corangamite.
The initiative sees both councils include their annual road resealing programs under a single contract.
The partnership was an initiative of Corangamite Shire Council which leads the procurement.
This attracts more competitive tenders and leads to economies of scale, ultimately delivering better value.
Warrnambool Mayor Cr Ben Blain said that it was a great example of regional collaboration.
"We're proud to see this partnership deliver such positive results for residents over the past decade," he said.
"This arrangement is estimated to save us about 12 per cent each year when compared to tendering individually, and over the course of a decade, this adds up to a very significant saving.
"It's a great example of two councils working together for a mutually beneficial result.
"Having strong working relationships with neighbouring Councils is valuable in so many different areas be it advocacy, infrastructure, technology or other programs and services.
"With money extremely tight at the various levels of government, as well as in the community, innovative programs like this are just so important, and this has been a real success story."
Road resealing involves a layer of bitumen being sprayed onto the road surface before a layer of crushed rock is rolled on top. This seals small cracks in the road and helps to prevent water seeping into the underlying pavement which helps to extend the life of the road.
Cr Blain said that it was cheaper in the long run to maintain roads by resealing them where appropriate, before they deteriorate and need more costly repairs.
"This is a vital maintenance program. As can be seen on large sections of Victorian Government managed roads in our region, a lack of appropriate and timely maintenance can have significant consequences."
Corangamite Mayor Cr Kate Makin said the partnership started with a discussion from the then-directors.
"It has enabled us to not double-up with contract administration, document preparation and the tender process," she said.
"Both parties are involved in the tender evaluation process but Warrnambool agreed to us awarding the contract on their behalf.
"Warrnambool's road resealing program begins on November 17 and will take about two weeks to complete and Corangamite's will start in the new year."
Cr Makin said there was flexibility in those arrangements if a Warrnambool job was delayed and a Corangamite site was ready - particularly in the north where the weather is warmer earlier.
"Because Corangamite has a much larger road network our teams do patching before resurfacing. The last thing we want to do is seal over a failure which will blow out later."
You can view a list of roads to be resealed on each Council's website prior to the beginning of each program.
