Budget

Each year, Council sets a budget to deliver services and projects for the community, while keeping rates as low as possible and within the rate cap.

Council adopted the final Budget 2025-26(PDF, 4MB) at a Council Meeting on 18 June 2025.

This budget includes revenue of $124.5 million which contributes towards the delivery of $28.4 million of capital expenditure to renew and upgrade Council's assets.

Some of the projects include:

  • $11.5 million on local roads, bridges, footpaths, drainage and associated works, including just over $900,000 on new footpaths aligning with Council’s Shire-wide Footpath Plan
  • $9.2 million on Stage 2 of the Macedon Ranges Regional Sports Precinct
  • $1.17 million on recreation-focused initiatives including designs for a new Kyneton Skatepark, continued renewal works for light towers at Council’s sporting facilities, design for light towers and oval surfacing works at Romsey Oval 2, and pitch lighting for Dixon Field in Gisborne
  • close to $2 million on building renewals, including several community-driven initiatives through earlier consultation such as an access ramp and air conditioning upgrade to Lancefield Courthouse, a water tank for the Bullengarook Community Hall and toilet upgrades for the Woodend Bowling Club.

Council will also continue to facilitate two free green waste vouchers and two ‘free weeks’ for green waste disposal at our resource recovery facilities.

Through earlier consultation in late 2024 and an invitation for the community to submit their own initiatives, 61 submissions were received. In an additional two-week consultation period on a concise version of the Draft Budget 2025-26 in May 2025, 20 public submissions were received and responses to those are detailed in the meeting agenda.

Council will generate $53.56 million from general rates and the municipal charge. The increase from 2024-25 is equal to the 3% maximum rate cap increase permitted by the Victorian Government’s Fair Go Rates system.

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