Council's Budget outlines how resources are prioritised to deliver important services and infrastructure to the community.
The 2024/2025 Budget will be developed with regard to the 2021-2025 Council Plan, 2021-2031 Financial Plan, Council's adopted Asset Management Plans, other supporting strategies and your feedback.
What does the Budget fund?
The Budget funds the delivery of important services that the community value and need. Greater Shepparton City Council delivers over 120 services to the community, including:
The budget also funds the maintenance, renewal and upgrade of Council's $1.9 billion of assets including roads, footpaths, buildings, community facilities, parks, drainage, bridges and more. Any new assets are also funded in the Council budget.
In 2022/2023, Council delivered a $42.47 million capital works program. For 2023/2024, this is forecast to be $58.22 million.
Where does the money come from?
Council generates about half of its revenue from Rates and Charges. Council also relies on government grants for revenue to help fund services and infrastructure for the community. User fees and charges are another important revenue stream.
The Council Plan is the key document that drives the strategic direction of Council.
The Council Plan is developed in consultation with our community and details the vision, goals and strategies to guide Council’s service delivery, activities and decision making over a four year period.
The Council Plan guides Council when prioritising where public money is invested. It has a range of objectives and the budget helps to deliver these.
It's important to manage expectations when it comes to setting the Council budget.
Over recent years Council's costs have grown at a greater rate than the revenue Council is able to generate. COVID and the more recent floods have impacted Council's ability to generate revenue from user fees and charges, and Council's total rates revenue has been capped by the State Government. This cap has not kept pace with the rising costs faced by Council. Council also determined not to raise rates at all during 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 due to the impacts of COVID felt by the community including cost of living pressures.
As a result of these pressures, Council has less funds available to fund new assets or more services. It is important that Council carefully prioritises the needs of the community, which is done through the Council Plan and ensuring projects and initiatives compliment existing plans or strategies adopted by Council, in which the community has a say.
In setting the 2024/2025 Budget, Council must strive for high levels of service and affordability for the community while maintaining financial sustainability for future generations to benefit.
