Financial Sustainability Roadmap

Council is committed to working with our community to ensure we can address our financial challenges and continue delivering the services, facilities and infrastructure that matter most, now and into the future. Our financial challenges have developed over many years largely due to rising costs and limited revenue growth. There is no single cause and no single solution. Addressing these challenges requires a shared approach and careful planning.

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What we know

  • costs of providing services and infrastructure have increased steadily over recent years, outpacing revenue growth.
  • Council activities and services have expanded largely due to increased statutory obligations and climate conditions, without a corresponding change to revenue sources.
  • our dispersed community, spread across 5 townships and 42 localities, requires duplication of infrastructure and services compared to councils with a single large centre. This adds complexity and cost to maintaining equitable access for all residents.
  • like many small rural councils, we have managed the cost increases by exhausting our cash reserves and delaying renewal of our ageing infrastructure, but this is not sustainable. We can no longer postpone important expenditure if we are to continue delivering essential services and ensure public safety.
  • we receive less government funding per head of population than many similar councils, meaning our ratepayers carry a larger share of the costs. 

Recent engagement indicates our community wants:

  • safe, connected towns
  • reliable roads and community facilities
  • support for young people, families and volunteers
  • local access to services
  • fairness in how rates are set
  • a healthy natural environment

Our challenge is to deliver these priorities in a financially sustainable way, ensuring a sound financial base for the future.

We therefore need to explore with the community ways we can reduce the need for expenditure by reviewing our facilities and services and placing priority on those that provide the best value and reducing or retiring those that are of less importance or relevance. 

We also need to see how we can improve our revenues through greater government assistance and access to grant funding, reviewing our rating strategy and continuing to find efficiencies in how we operate.

What we need to understand together

We need your input on:

Which services matter most?
Council provides close to 100 services including parks, libraries, pools, roads, recycling and waste, land planning, community safety, environmental health, youth programs, emergency management, maternal and child health and more. Some services are essential and legally required; others are discretionary.

We need to understand which services matter most, which might be delivered differently, and which we could reduce.

Which facilities can we scale back or do without?
Council owns or manages more than 270 buildings, halls, reserves and facilities - many are ageing, under-used and costly to maintain.

We need community input to determine which facilities could be better utilised, shared, consolidated or retired.

How do we achieve fairness in raising revenue?
Council is considering a one-off rate rise above the State’s rate cap to lift revenue.

Before deciding, we need to understand community priorities and ensure support for those most financially vulnerable.

What Council is doing

Council is implementing a Financial Sustainability Roadmap, outlined in the Financial Plan 2025-2029. which includes:

We will soon conduct in depth consultation with a Facilities Review Advisory Group (FRAG) about:

  • which buildings and facilities are essential
  • which may be consolidated, repurposed or retired
  • reinvesting in the right places
  • reducing our overall operating, maintenance and renewal expenditure needs

Exploring new revenue options, including:

  • fair and cost-reflective service fees and charges
  • seeking a once-off relief from the Government’s rate cap in the near future to better align rates revenue with the cost of doing business
  • expanding the rate base through measured population growth and sustainable development (medium-long term)
  • pursuing commercial investment opportunities, including strategic borrowings, for financial returns where there are community benefits
  • embracing collaboration and partnership arrangements to deliver the community vision and aspirations by harnessing:

How you can be involved

  • visit this hub on Council’s website
  • join the Facilities Review Advisory Group (FRAG) – a deliberative engagement panel
  • complete surveys and feedback tools
  • engage, provide feedback, online via Council’s engagement website In The Loop

Together, we can make informed choices to secure a sustainable future for Murrindindi Shire.

 

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