Our draft Annual Budget 2026-2027 carefully balances investment in community priorities with responsible financial management.
This draft budget delivers the second year actions of our Council and Health and Wellbeing Plan 2025-29, focusing on building resilience and improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life of our community.
In developing this draft budget, we carefully considered feedback from almost 600 community members about your needs, values and priorities. This is in addition to the 1100 community members who shared their thoughts to inform the development of our Council and Health and Wellbeing Plan. We brought consultation forward to July - August 2025, giving you the opportunity to shape priorities from the very start of the process and genuinely influence this budget.
This draft budget includes some new initiatives the community has said are important to them, including a winter shelter program, more Christmas decorations, Australia Day celebrations and an additional recycling collection over the Christmas/New Year period.
The ongoing impact of rate capping, combined with cost shifting, rising costs to deliver services and growing demand, has placed Council's budget under significant financial pressure.
This year's overall average rates rise is 2.75%, consistent with the Victorian Government's rate capping policy. Individual ratepayers may experience increases or decreases that differ from 2.75%, depending on their property's value based on independent valuations. Knox's residential rates are still among the lowest in metropolitan Melbourne.
In developing this budget, it has been challenging to balance the different needs of the community. We have had to adjust our pensioner rebate, reducing it from $100 in 2025-2026 to $75 in 2026-2027. Knox remains one of a small number of councils providing a Council-funded pensioner rebate on top of the Victorian Government's pensioner concession. Additionally, those who own property in a retirement village get a discount on their rates compared to other residential properties. We will continue to offer flexible payment options to support everyone especially those experiencing financial hardship.
To support residents experiencing hardship, the emergency relief fund has been retained in 2026-27 and will now be increased to $150,000 to help Knox's not-for-profit community groups deliver urgent, essential relief and support services to residents.
Council is investing savings into maintaining the services and facilities that benefit residents, to deliver on the priorities that you told us were most important.
The draft budget is now available for your review, prior to going to Council to adopt in June 2026.
For questions on the draft Annual Budget 2026-2027, contact our Strategy and Transformation team on 9298 8000 or email [email protected]
