The Macedon Ranges Shire Council (MRSC) has now adopted its 2026-2027 Budget, outlining how it will deliver services, support the community and maintain infrastructure within the shire over the next year.
There will be a 2.75 per cent increase in rates across the shire, which is in line with the rate cap set by the Victorian Government, which stirred the councillors in the latest council meeting.
“We’ve worked hard to strike a balance between keeping costs manageable for the community and making sure we can continue delivering required services, maintaining our asset base, and investing in infrastructure,” Mayor Cr Kate Kendall said.
The Budget will fund everyday services like waste collection, road maintenance, community facilities and parks as well as a $16.2 million capital works program.
Cr Kendall said the Budget targets the basics while responding to community needs.
The MRSC has tried to handle cost of living pressures by including more free green waste drop off weeks moving from two weeks to six every year.
A 12-month freeze on some business-related fees and extra funding for local food banks and neighbourhood houses was also included.
Councillor Daniel Young and Councillor Alison Joseph were adamant about keeping the rate the same due to the cost-of-living pressures that rate payers have already felt.
“Any business that is in a competitive environment would soon learn that you cant continue to put your prices up, at some point you have to get more efficient.” Cr Joseph said.
“You’ve got to find new ways to do the same thing with less money, so I think that should apply to the council.
“Just because council has the power to make people pay their rates, I don’t think (it) means we should continually put more and more pressure on our rate payers to pay more and more.”
But other sides of the council didn’t quite agree because the council’s costs go up “sometimes more than inflation”.
“As much as I’d love to give the community a zero per cent rate increase, I just don’t think it’s feasible and I think it’s absolutely not the right thing to do by the community, otherwise there are cuts everywhere with service delivery,” Councillor Dom Bonanno explained.
“I think the budget as I’ve seen it has reached a balance.”
The budget also includes investment in important local projects throughout the shire, such as the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens, safety upgrades at the Kyneton Showgrounds grandstand and works to the Woodend clock tower.
The MRSC also factored in the typical road and drainage upgrades, as well as the community infrastructure which will be added across the shire.
There will be significant investment into digital systems and technology that will help improve customer service, streamline operations and make it easier for the community to access council services.
The budget aims to support some of the longer-term priorities for the shire as well, such as planning for population growth, improving town centres through the Thriving Villages Program, and delivering initiatives that support young people, mental health and the environment.