Murrindindi Shire Council adopted its Annual Budget for 2026/27 at the Scheduled Meeting of Council on Wednesday 17 June 2026 following community consultation.
The Budget outlines how Council will continue delivering essential services and invest in priority infrastructure across the Shire, while supporting ongoing recovery from the January 2026 bushfires and managing sustained cost pressures, constrained revenue and limited external funding.
The 2026/27 Budget reflects a disciplined and measured approach, focused on prioritising essential services, managing financial risk and maintaining organisational viability. As in recent years, this requires trade-offs between service levels, infrastructure renewal and long-term sustainability.
The Budget supports delivery of the Council Plan 2025-2029, which focuses on building a resilient Shire, fostering inclusive communities and delivering sustainable services for the future.
Key features of the Budget include:
- A capital works program of approximately $15.7 million, focused on renewing and upgrading existing infrastructure
- Continued investment in community recovery and resilience initiatives
- An average rate increase of 2.75%, in line with the Victorian Government rate cap
- Expenditure of $23.1 million to deliver services to the community.
The Budget forecasts an underlying operating deficit of $5.3 million, reflecting ongoing structural funding constraints and the continued impact of rising costs. Council has taken a managed approach to manage this position while maintaining essential services and supporting recovery.
The Budget takes a cautious approach by limiting new expenditure requirements, maintaining current service levels as far as possible, while ensuring Council retains the flexibility to respond to changing bushfire recovery needs and uncertainty in funding from other levels of government.
Murrindindi Shire Mayor Cr Damien Gallagher said the Budget reflects the challenge of managing recovery, service delivery and long-term sustainability.
"This is a prudent but considered Budget that prioritises essential services and recovery needs within tight financial limits", Cr Gallagher said.
"We've focused on maintaining essential services, delivering priority infrastructure and managing immediate pressures while positioning Council to address longer-term financial risks in a planned and responsible way."
Chief Executive Officer Livia Bonazzi said the Budget reflects a disciplined and cautious response to an uncertain environment.
"This is a stabilising Budget designed to protect Council's financial sustainability, maintain essential services and ensure we can continue responding to bushfire recovery as it evolves," Ms Bonazzi said.
"Like many rural councils, we are managing rising costs, constrained revenue and increasing reliance on external funding. This Budget reflects the limited tools available to local government to respond to structural funding pressures while recovery demands continue to grow."
Council considered fourteen community submissions received during the public exhibition of the draft Budget which informed minor changes, before finalising and approving the Budget.
Cr Gallagher thanked community members who provided feedback.
"We appreciate the well-considered submissions in response to the draft budget and welcome the changes to support the submission requests. With every dollar so precious, the changes to the draft have been managed with the minimum possible impact upon the projected underlying deficit."
The 2026/27 Annual Budget is available on Council's website at murrindindi.vic.gov.au/budget and at Council's Library and Customer Service Centres.
