Following Council’s endorsement of the Draft Budget 2025/26 and Revenue and Rating Plan 2025/26 – 2029/30, we are now seeking feedback from community members on these important documents before they are finalised.

Our Draft Budget for 2025/26 outlines the key services and major projects we plan to invest in to support our growing and diverse community.

At the heart of this Draft Budget is a $225.8 million capital works program supporting everything from new infrastructure to upgraded community spaces.

We're also continuing to invest in the everyday services that matter most – from waste collection and libraries to staging events and festivals, programs for families, young people, and seniors, and more than 100 services that support residents of all ages and abilities.

Community submissions
In late 2024, we invited community submissions for projects, initiatives, or programs that Council could include as part of the 2025/26 Council Plan and Budget development process.

As a result, 17 of those ideas, totalling $3.6 million have been included in the Draft Budget, demonstrating our commitment to listening to our community and responding to their needs.

In addition, a number of the community submissions received have been earmarked for future years, will be delivered by developers or referred to other agencies.

We will advocate on behalf of the community to relevant authorities for a number of submissions that don’t fall under Council’s responsibility, for example arterial road upgrades and improvements to bus services.

Project highlights include: 

• $45.3 million for construction of Cobblebank Community Services Hub 

• $27.8 million to commence construction of Plumpton Aquatic and Leisure Centre 

• $8.4 million to complete construction of Weir Views Children’s and Community Centre 

• $7.6 million to commence construction of Deanside Community Centre and Neighbourhood House 

• $10.1 million to upgrade 24 local playspaces

• $5.9 million for the redevelopment of the sportsground at Taylors Hill Recreation Reserve

• $3.8 million to complete the Macpherson Park Rugby Pavilion

• $2.5 million to reconstruct the Arnolds Creek tennis courts

• $9.7 million towards construction of traffic lights at Plumpton Road, Sinclairs Road and Westwood Drive, along with commencing duplication between Westwood Drive and Gourlay Road. 

• $2.8 million for turning lanes at Exford Road car park and Murphys Road

• $1.9 million to upgrade the Exford Road/Wilson Road and Exford Road/Northcott Street intersection
  

Rates

Average rates in 2025/26 are proposed to increase by 3 per cent, which is in line with the State Government’s rate cap amount for this financial year.

This will equate to an average rate increase for ratepayers of around $1.05 per week, with more than half of all households across the City seeing a smaller increase than that. This excludes the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund mandated by the Victorian Government that replaces the Fire Services Property Levy from 1 July 2025.

An $90 pensioner rebate will again be available to eligible property owners.

The Revenue and Rating Plan is an important part of Council’s integrated planning framework. It sets out the principles that guide how Council calculates and raises the revenue required to fund its activities.

Rates are an important source of funding that enable Council to deliver services, programs and infrastructure that help our community thrive.

Under legislation, Council is required to prepare a Revenue and Rating Plan by 30 June following a Council election and seek community feedback on its rating model – which takes into account the different types of properties, and their respective uses, within the City.

Revenue and Rating Plan and differential rating categories

The Revenue and Rating Plan does not influence the total amount of revenue to be raised (this is determined by the budget), only the share of revenue contributed by each property.

Council is committed to developing a Revenue and Rating Plan that’s not only underpinned by sound principles of equity, efficiency, and simplicity, but also enables us to create a range of rates that are fair and equitable to each group of properties within the municipality. These are called differential rating categories.

Differential rating categories create various ‘rate in the dollar calculations’ from the base category. These are called rate levels.

Under the draft plan, Council will continue using differential rating categories that allow Council flexibility in achieving fairness and equity.

This is done by setting a ‘level of rate’ for each rating type, which is then used to calculate rates payable for individual properties according to their value.

• Vacant land – increasing from 150% to 170%
• Commercial/Industrial Vacant – increasing from 200% to 225%
• Urban Growth - increasing from 75% to 80%.

All other differential rates will remain the same as previously set in the 2021-2025 plan.

We are now seeking feedback on the Draft Budget 2025/26 and the Draft Revenue and Rating Plan 2025/26 to 2029/30 from the wider community to help us finalise both documents before Council adoption.

Any feedback that requires additional funding will be considered as part of the 2026/27 budget update.

To provide your feedback, please complete the form below: