24/25 Budget Consultation

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Consultation has concluded

We're seeking community input to help us shape the 2024/25 budget.

Each year council prepares an annual budget which enables us to manage and deliver our 50 plus services as well as invest in works like roads, footpaths, community facilities and other infrastructure.

The budget details how we will finance and resource our services as well as the priorities and strategic objectives outlined in the four-year Council Plan 2021-2025(External link) and reflected in the Community Vision(External link).

In 2021, we consulted with the community about its hopes, dreams and aspirations for the Rural City over a 12 year period and this resulted in the following vision statement which helps to guide Council’s decision making.

Wangaratta 2033

“We are an inclusive, courageous and compassionate community, that has built our future on a respectful balance between the urban and the rural. We are known for our natural beauty, access to opportunities and innovation, our resilience, and our community strength.

We have a mature and healthy landscape that supports our wellbeing and forms a strong part of our identity. We are the place where everyone has the ability to engage, to prosper, to be supported, and to grow."

To achieve this Vision, Council needs to deliver more than roads, rates and rubbish. We need to ensure that we provide a range of services that meet the many needs and interests of a diverse community. This includes libraries, maternal and child health services, customer service, swimming pools, recreation facilities, economic development, tourism services, building and planning control, events support and waste management just to name a few.

How can I get involved?

In the past, we’ve sought community input into the development of the draft budget. This year we are engaging earlier in an attempt to make that engagement even more meaningful.

Before we develop our new budget, we want to know if community priorities have shifted. We are therefore again seeking your feedback to help us further understand what services you value most and where you believe we should prioritise our spending.

There are a number of ways to provide input and we encourage you to participate.

  1. Tell us where you would allocate your funds
  2. Make a Budget submission

How will my feedback be included in the draft budget?

When collating the pre-budget engagement results, we group the findings into consistent themes, which enables us to better understand the collective view, rather than individual requests for specific projects.

While some of this feedback will make its way into the draft budget, some won't. However, it may help to inform future budgets and service planning as well as the next Council Plan.

Council needs to take a balanced approach when considering the feedback in the context of all other relevant factors, including the current economic climate, the rate cap, available grant funding and resources. It also needs to consider that any increase in one area needs to be matched by reducing spending in another.

While we won’t be able to respond to individual feedback, once the draft budget is endorsed in May, you’ll have the opportunity to view the document to see if it reflects what the community has shared with us.


We're seeking community input to help us shape the 2024/25 budget.

Each year council prepares an annual budget which enables us to manage and deliver our 50 plus services as well as invest in works like roads, footpaths, community facilities and other infrastructure.

The budget details how we will finance and resource our services as well as the priorities and strategic objectives outlined in the four-year Council Plan 2021-2025(External link) and reflected in the Community Vision(External link).

In 2021, we consulted with the community about its hopes, dreams and aspirations for the Rural City over a 12 year period and this resulted in the following vision statement which helps to guide Council’s decision making.

Wangaratta 2033

“We are an inclusive, courageous and compassionate community, that has built our future on a respectful balance between the urban and the rural. We are known for our natural beauty, access to opportunities and innovation, our resilience, and our community strength.

We have a mature and healthy landscape that supports our wellbeing and forms a strong part of our identity. We are the place where everyone has the ability to engage, to prosper, to be supported, and to grow."

To achieve this Vision, Council needs to deliver more than roads, rates and rubbish. We need to ensure that we provide a range of services that meet the many needs and interests of a diverse community. This includes libraries, maternal and child health services, customer service, swimming pools, recreation facilities, economic development, tourism services, building and planning control, events support and waste management just to name a few.

How can I get involved?

In the past, we’ve sought community input into the development of the draft budget. This year we are engaging earlier in an attempt to make that engagement even more meaningful.

Before we develop our new budget, we want to know if community priorities have shifted. We are therefore again seeking your feedback to help us further understand what services you value most and where you believe we should prioritise our spending.

There are a number of ways to provide input and we encourage you to participate.

  1. Tell us where you would allocate your funds
  2. Make a Budget submission

How will my feedback be included in the draft budget?

When collating the pre-budget engagement results, we group the findings into consistent themes, which enables us to better understand the collective view, rather than individual requests for specific projects.

While some of this feedback will make its way into the draft budget, some won't. However, it may help to inform future budgets and service planning as well as the next Council Plan.

Council needs to take a balanced approach when considering the feedback in the context of all other relevant factors, including the current economic climate, the rate cap, available grant funding and resources. It also needs to consider that any increase in one area needs to be matched by reducing spending in another.

While we won’t be able to respond to individual feedback, once the draft budget is endorsed in May, you’ll have the opportunity to view the document to see if it reflects what the community has shared with us.