Murrindindi Shire Council has adopted its 2024/25 Annual Report and Financial Plan 2025-2035 at its Special Meeting of Council on Wednesday 29 October.
Together, these two documents highlight Council's strong performance over the past year and its clear direction on the action needed to build a financially sustainable future.
The Annual Report provides a comprehensive overview of Council's achievements, challenges and performance against the 2021-2025 Council Plan. It details the progress Council has made across all five strategic directions: Resilient Communities, Beautiful Townships and Rural Settings, Growth and Opportunity, Our Protected Environment, and Transparency, Inclusion and Accountability.
Key achievements during 2024/25 include the delivery of $12.65 million in capital works, including the Eildon Splash Park and Reserves Redevelopment, the Yea Wetlands Kayigai Trail, in partnership with the Yea Wetlands Discovery Centre Inc., and major road and drainage upgrades across the Shire. This represents an 89% delivery against the original capital works budget, underscoring Council's commitment to delivering value for money. Council also introduced the four-bin kerbside collection service, a significant step toward reducing landfill and supporting environmental sustainability.
Council delivered 72 community grants totalling more than $147,000, continued flood recovery works, and strengthened its engagement with the community through Dindi-In the Loop, pop-up sessions and local events. The report also highlights Council's ongoing advocacy to State and Federal Governments for fairer funding, improved roads and transport connections, and more resilient community infrastructure.
While Council recorded an accounting surplus for the year, this included one-off and advance payments which distorted the result. Once adjusted, the underlying result reflected a deficit, reinforcing the need for ongoing work to balance limited revenue growth with rising costs and service expectations.
Council's Financial Plan outlines a ten-year financial strategy aligned with the Council Plan 2025–2029 and Community Vision 2025–2035. It identifies the structural challenges facing small rural councils and sets out key actions to address these challenges, which will be necessary to strengthen Council's longer term financial position, in order to continue to deliver essential services and infrastructure.
The Plan indicates that without intervention, Council's underlying operating result will remain in deficit across the ten-year period, requiring significant borrowings to fund essential infrastructure. To address this and reduce the reliance on debt-funding, the Plan details several key actions, including:
- Considering an early application to the Essential Services Commission for a one-year exemption to raise rates above the rate cap.
- Establishing a deliberative community panel to guide decisions about consolidating or disposing of under-utilised Council buildings and facilities.
- Developing a Service Planning Framework to assess the efficiency, effectiveness and affordability of Council services.
- Continuing Council's strong advocacy for fairer State and Federal funding arrangements to address the financial disadvantage faced by small rural councils.
These initiatives will help Council plan responsibly for the future, protect essential services and ensure long-term sustainability.
Mayor Cr Damien Gallagher said the adoption of the Annual Report and 10 Year Financial Plan demonstrates Council's commitment to transparency, accountability and responsible planning.
"Our Annual Report celebrates what we've achieved together as a community during 2024/25, and our Financial Plan looks at the work we still need to do to build a sustainable future for Murrindindi," Cr Gallagher said.
"We know the financial challenges are real. Council has been proactive in managing these pressures over time, and the Financial Plan outlines the next steps we must now take. Building on an already lean and efficient organisation, benchmarking strongly against the sector, we are continuing to tighten efficiencies, reviewing assets, and advocating strongly for a fairer funding model for small rural councils like ours. We're determined to ensure our communities continue to receive quality services, safe infrastructure and the support they need to thrive."
Both the Annual Report 2024/25 and Financial Plan 2025–2035 are available on our Corporate Documents page.
