Council budget

Yarra City Council has built a responsible draft Budget that delivers for community, while addressing financial challenges.

Read the draft Budget for 2023/24

Have your say

Yarra's draft Budget 2023/24 is now closed for community consultation. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on the draft Budget, draft Long-term Financial Plan and draft Revenue and Rating Plan and comments on the separation of waste service charges. We are currently collating and reviewing all responses received which will be considered for the final Budget.

Budget highlights

  • Accelerating Yarra's Tree Planting program as a Natural Cooling Climate Emergency Response by increasing annual planting from 330 to 660 trees.
  • Creating new parks and open spaces and upgrading existing with new park furniture, play and sports equipment, toilets and other amenities.
  • Preparation and planning for the New Deal for Schools, a flagship transport program to increase the proportion of children walking, cycling and scooting to school, reduce school traffic, and improve the school commute for families.
  • Making a range of improvements across Yarra’s bicycle network with a focus on Strategic Cycling Corridors like Wellington Street’s bicycle lanes.
  • Replacing library resources across all libraries and expanding the Open Library program to ensure these vital community hubs are relevant, resourceful and accessible for our community.
  • Ongoing implementation of the community-led Local Liveable Streets initiative to turn our streets into liveable and dynamic spaces for the community.
  • Ongoing funding for community street events and activations that celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of Yarra, like Lunar New Year and the Johnston St Fiesta.
  • Enhancing youth engagement and participation, focussing on at-risk young people, promoting the voices of young people and participation in decision-making and employment opportunities.
  • Improving parking and road safety and amenity by reconstructing several laneways, footpaths, pavements, and kerbs, improving pedestrian and traffic management, and developing a parking strategy.
  • Planning, implementing and researching improvements to pedestrian infrastructure in Cremorne, particularly around key intersections. Implementing the Curtain Square Stormwater Harvesting Scheme that will deliver a 420-kilolitre underground tank to store stormwater, saving 10 million litres of potable water per year.
  • Continuing to rollout the Zero Carbon Households and Better Energy Better Business programs to support Yarra residents and businesses to reduce emissions by creating efficient, electric homes and businesses powered by renewable energy.
  • Improving the community’s digital access and customer experience with upgrades to the Council website to make it easier for residents to interact with Council, anywhere, anytime.
  • Expanding Council’s community engagement program.

The Budget includes a rate increase of 3.5%, in line with the 2023/24 rate cap implemented by the Victorian Government, which is below the 4% recommended by the Essential Services Commission based on CPI forecast.

Financial Hardship Policy

Yarra City Council has Financial Hardship Policy (PDF 148kB) to support ratepayers experiencing financial hardship.

Pricing Policy

Yarra City Council’s Pricing Policy (PDF 712kB) guides the setting of fees and charges for transactional services (user fees and charges) with transparency, consistency and equity.

Social, economic and legal factors must all be taken into account when establishing prices for user fees and charges. These include consideration of our social policy objectives and steps to ensure accessibility and affordability for the community.

The Pricing Policy sets out the objectives, principles and practical application of pricing methods that makes clear to the community the process by which user fees and charges are set.

Past budgets

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