Northern Grampians Shire Council’s 2026/27 Annual Budget continues the organisation’s strong focus on long-term financial viability while balancing a commitment to delivering quality services and infrastructure.
Councillors adopted the budget at a meeting in St Arnaud on Tuesday. The document governs the implementation of services, major initiatives, policy, and strategy development as outlined in the organisation’s four-year Council Plan 2025-29.
Councillors also adopted the Infrastructure Capital Works Program 2026/27, which details projects planned for the municipality’s roads, bridges, footpaths and cycleways in the next financial year.
Mayor Karen Hyslop said feedback collected from the community in January influenced both documents.
“We implemented a revised approach to public consultation for this year’s budget, concentrating on the initiatives – referred to as tasks – the community wanted to see funded in 2026/27,” she said.
“This process enabled our community to share feedback with us before we determined the budget rather than responding to a draft budget as in previous years.”
The Annual Budget 2026/27 is heavily shaped by the Council Plan Year Two Priorities, which includes 109 key tasks for delivery throughout the next financial year.
The priorities align with council’s five key goals:
- Live it up – 52 tasks that support children and young people, create healthy communities and help people feel connected, included and safe.
- Business buzz – 28 tasks that support farming and rural industries, build vibrant local businesses and enhance tourism experiences.
- Build it up – nine tasks that help unlock land and housing opportunities, and build the local workforce.
- Clean it up – 10 tasks that help cut waste and recycle properly, support climate adaptation and preparedness, drive energy efficiency, and protect the shire’s land, water and wildlife.
- Do it well – 10 tasks that support a position of financial viability, deliver important asset and maintenance renewal programs, and ensure council is being efficient, responsive and innovative.
The budget is also influenced by the Advocacy Prospectus 2026, which sets out council’s priorities for engaging with the Victorian Government and other key stakeholders, along with the outcomes council is seeking for the community.
Council has developed this year’s budget in line with the State Government’s 2.75 per cent rate cap and plans to raise $22,314,489 by general rates, municipal charges, and annual service charges.
Council has set a general residential rate of 0.4744. The commercial and industrial differential rates are 0.6008 and the farm differential rate is set at 0.1629.
Annual service charges for 2026/27 are set at:
- Kerbside garbage collection services – $371
- Additional kerbside garbage collection services – $169
- Recycling – kerbside recycling collection services – $194
- FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) collection services – $67
Cr Hyslop said the significant rise in waste charges was due to the start of a new waste service contract, which resulted in increased service delivery costs.
Major investments outlined in the Annual Budget 2026/27 include $27.6 million to provide important services to the community, such as strategic planning, cemeteries, libraries, maternal and child health, and community development.
The budget includes an 11.1-million allocation for infrastructure, to continue with major tasks such as culvert renewal, resheeting, drainage and rural roads programs.
Two million dollars has been allocated to complete phase two of the St Arnaud Swimming Pool redevelopment and scope new projects such as the Halls Gap East Shared Path.
A $1.3-million allocation for plant and equipment will be used to purchase new equipment such as a tractor, tar truck and commercial reel oval mower.
Council has also allocated $300,000 to prepare for the shire’s FOGO recycling rollout in 2027, along with glass recycling collection points.
“This budget, like our 2025/26 budget, was affected by influences including operating in a rate capped environment, rising inflation and material costs, reduced funding from state and federal governments and unsustainability due to our very large asset base and small resident base,” Cr Hyslop said.
“It has also been influenced by the recent worldwide fuel shortage crisis, which has significantly increased the cost of running machinery required to maintain roads and keep parks and amenities clean. Council has prudently made provision for future fuel price increases should they arise.”
Cr Hyslop said councillors and council staff had completed a significant amount of work in finalising the new budget and infrastructure plan.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in preparing both of these vital documents,” she said.
“They are quite comprehensive and I encourage our community to have a look through them to see what is in store for the next 12 months.”
People can view a copy of the 2026/27 Annual Budget on council’s website, here.
A copy of the Infrastructure Capital Works Plan 2026/27 is available, here.
Throughout the budget process, council creates a Sankey Diagram, which illustrates how council funds the budget along with planned expenditure for the next 12 months. You can view the diagram, here.
