2025-26 Council Budget

Council has an Integrated Planning Framework that aligns its operational, corporate and strategic plans to deliver core services, and achieve sustainable improvements for the Council and community. The framework includes long, medium and short-term plans that set the direction of everything we do.

The Budget forms an important part of Council’s Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework. This framework ensures that the Budget is developed in response to Council Plan priorities, and specifies the required amount to fund Council services and initiatives over the next 12 months, and subsequent three financial years.

The framework guides the Council in identifying community needs and aspirations over the long term (Community Vision and Financial Plan), medium term (Council Plan, Workforce Plan, and Revenue and Rating Plan) and short term (Budget).

The Fair Go Rates system (rate-capping) means that the annual increase in total rates revenue is much lower than inflation and the increases in contract costs. This grows the gap between income and expenses, which in turn compounds Council’s annual cash deficits.

Council can’t pass the financial gap directly through to the users of services without considering the cost pressures that they too face, so increases in fees often don’t even cover the cost increase in delivering the service, despite the efficiencies Council is making.

Council has a large asset base and many of the assets are aging and wont stay fit for use by the community unless they are renewed soon. This is a major challenge as Council is currently funding about 60% of its annual asset renewal target.

You can download and complete the 2025-26 Council Budget Ideas Survey(PDF, 183KB) form.

Email your submission to: inq@colacotway.vic.gov.au

You can download and complete the 2025-26 Council Budget Ideas Survey(PDF, 183KB) form or send your suggestions to:

Colac Otway Shire Council
PO Box 283
Colac VIC 3250

Download and complete the 2025-26 Council Budget Ideas Survey(PDF, 183KB) form and drop it into one of our Customer Service Centers at Colac or Apollo Bay.