The council apologised after sending letters to 19 residents living on Victoria Rd requesting them to pay for half the cost for dust suppression on the driveway in Tahuna Park.
Dust suppression was previously done using recycled motor oil, but because of environmental concerns the council has moved to using more expensive bio-oils or Otta sealing and is asking people who live on gravel roads to pay some of the cost.
The letter to Victoria St residents said Otta sealing costs for residents would be $6000 and was guaranteed to last five years, whereas bio oil would cost $1550 for one application a year.
Victoria Rd resident Meredith Molloy received a letter from the council asking for residents to pay 50% of the cost for the work.
"I’m not even utilising the road, so why do the residents have to pay for this?" Ms Molloy said.
The letter said because Ms Molloy lives within 100m of the Tahuna Park driveway, the council had decided residents and the council would share the costs.
Council transport delivery manager Ben Hogan said the letters have been sent to 19 properties on Victoria Rd in error.
"We apologise for this error and any distress caused,
"We are attempting to contact all these residents individually to assure them that they are not being charged for dust suppression at Tahuna Park," Mr Hogan said.
The council would continue to fully fund the work.
