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Our spending for 2025/26

The Annual Budget 2025/26 and Revenue and Rating Plan 2025-29 were both endorsed at the June 2025 Council meeting.

The Budget commits $145 million to support essential services and community initiatives over the next financial year.

In response to the top five ranked community priorities, Council has allocated:

  • almost 9 million for parks and gardens
  • almost $1 million for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure
  • $4.3 million for community centres and libraries
  • almost $2 million for sustainability initiatives to help reduce emissions and improve our environment.

We are also spending $1 million on new tree plantings across the City, as we work towards increasing our canopy cover to over 20 per cent by 2040.

The Budget is premised on a 3% increase in total rates revenue, in line with the rates cap allowed for by the State Government.

We also endorsed the Revenue and Rating Plan 2025-29, which will guide how we will generate income for at least the next four financial years.

For more information, visit Council's website, and to download these documents, visit the Document Library on this page.

What you told us

To help develop the Annual Budget and Revenue and Rating Plan, we considered feedback from two conversations in late 2024 and April 2025. We also incorporated broad and deliberative engagement to support the new four-year Council Plan.

In phase two (April–May 2025), we asked for formal feedback on the draft Budget and the Revenue and Rating Plan 2025–29.

We received 31 responses via online feedback forms, emails, and in-person conversations. Key feedback included:

  • strong support for improved infrastructure, especially cycling, active transport, and public spaces, which was similar to phase one feedback
  • requests for more funding for safe, accessible cycling paths and support for the McIvor Reserve Indoor Stadium development
  • concerns about public safety, urban decline, and the need to revitalise Footscray CBD.

We also responded to two submitted questions, which can be found here.

Eight respondents also opted to present their feedback to Councillors at a hearing in May 2025.

This feedback helped shape the endorsed Budget and Revenue and Rating Plan.

Read the full Engagement Summary Report for more detail.

Because understanding your priorities early helps us better align with the needs and outcomes of the community as a whole, in late 2024, we asked you to rank the services Council provides in order of importance to you.

Of the 303 fund-it tool responses the highest-ranked areas were:

  • open space
  • cycling and pedestrian infrastructure
  • city amenity and safety
  • sustainability and the environment
  • community centres and libraries

This is similar to what we heard in November 2023, and aligns closely to detailed responses heard through the Formal Feedback Form. For more detail download the Engagement Summary Report.

Council engaged the community from July to December 2024 to shape the new Council Plan, confirm the Community Vision, and review Asset and Financial Plans.

We asked our community:

  • Are there any services or programs you might be willing to adjust, let go of, or re-prioritise?
  • Have we got the balance right between the cost and quality of our assets and programs with the changing needs of the community?
  • What level of investment you might be prepared to accept for Council-managed assets to support the ongoing needs of a growing population.

This information has ensured key documents, including the Proposed Annual Budget, reflect the needs of our community.

During this time, we heard:

  • support for infrastructure (both physical and social) that keeps pace with our growing population
  • a willingness to accept higher up-front costs for more sustainable outcomes and cost savings in future
  • a love of libraries and community centres as places that build community connection
  • a desire for more open green space and trees
  • care and concern for vulnerable people in the community - affordable housing, foodbanks, free or low cost opportunities for life-long learning or events
  • requests for improved amenity – from repairing footpaths and roads, through to more public toilets
  • opportunities for communications and engagement to share the programs and services on offer throughout the City.

For more information on the new Council Plan, Community Vision, and the Asset and Financial plans, visit the project page.