Northern Grampians Shire residents can help determine budget priorities for 2026/27 through a public check-in process this month, with the budget coming into effect on July 1 this year.
Council has released a list of proposed year two priorities for 2026/27, which is now available for community consultation.
Mayor Karen Hyslop said councillors selected these priorities from the list of actions in the adopted four-year Council Plan 2025-29.
"Council did a huge amount of consultation to identify these actions as part of the development of the Council Plan last year," she said.
"However, it's important we now check in with the community for feedback to see if we have selected the right proposed actions for year two."
Cr Hyslop said the list comprised 108 proposed 'tasks' aligned to the following Council Plan 2025-29 goals: Live it up, build it up, business buzz, clean it up and do it well.
The tasks are derived from the council plan and are considered the 'next steps' as the current council enters the second of a four-year term.
"We are introducing a new consultation process this year, which involves our community reviewing the list of tasks and providing feedback," Cr Hyslop said.
"Council will use the feedback to determine if we amend, add or subtract tasks to align with our strategic direction and goals.
"Traditionally, residents have had an opportunity to provide submissions to a draft budget just before it's adopted. This gives little scope to change anything at this late stage. However, the new approach will encourage community input much earlier before the budget is developed.
"This enables our community to share their input earlier in the process, with that feedback then reflected in the draft budget where appropriate."
Cr Hyslop said she believed the new process would result in more genuine engagement leading to meaningful change.
"Once we have confirmed the individual tasks, council will align the 2026/27 budget to achieving these outcomes," she said.
"Rather than starting with the available budget and working backwards to align with different priorities, we are prioritising what matters most and then committing resources accordingly."
Feedback submissions can be made online via council's website or sent via direct mail and must be received by 4pm on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
People can click here for a list of the year two tasks, along with information about how to make a submission.
Hard copies of the budget priority material can also be obtained at council's customer service offices in Stawell and St Arnaud town halls.
People can also click here for a copy of the endorsed Council Plan 2025-29.
