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Proposed funding for the coming financial year

Council manages community funds supporting delivery of a number of services to nearly 92,000 residents, and we have prepared a Proposed Budget that shows our continued investment in some of the core functions our community values.

Like other councils in Victoria, we are also facing significant financial challenges with the costs of delivering services and infrastructure increasing, along with our population.

As the gap between how much our income has grown and how much costs have increased continues to expand, it is becoming harder to provide the services our growing community demands within the funding we have.

In 2025/26, we are proposing a budget of $144.78 million to prioritise essential services and community needs, with a focus on road maintenance, major projects, and open space.

This includes $21.6 million to support five major projects:

  • moving Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre off gas and continuing the Splash Park project
  • demolition of RecWest Footscray and upgrade of Shorten Reserve
  • new pavilion at Hansen Reserve, and
  • detailed design to progress Creative West.

The ‘Budget Breakdown’ below explains how we are proposing to allocate these funds.

The Proposed Annual Budget is also based on a 3% increase in total rates revenue in line with the rates cap.

We are also sharing the draft Revenue and Rating Plan 2025-29, which guides how we generate income.

Share your feedback on the Proposed Annual Budget and the draft Revenue and Rating Plan by midnight Wednesday 14 May 2025.

Proposed Budget Breakdown

A high-level summary of the Proposed Budget (Companion Document) and the full Proposed Budget 2025/26 can be found in the Document Library.

How to get involved

What you told us

To help develop the Proposed Annual Budget, we considered feedback from our initial conversation in late 2024 on Council services, as well as broad and deliberative engagement to support the new four-year Council Plan.

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 183 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 last year, 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.