COUNCIL ADOPTS MEASURED BUDGET TO KEEP RATES LOW

Published on 18 July 2025

Media release

At a Special Budget meeting, Council officially adopted its 2025/26 Budget, which strikes the balance of keeping rates increases as low as possible without needing service cuts in the face of rising costs.

The 2025/26 Budget outlines a total revenue of $53,621,500 and a total operating expenditure of $52,531,000 with a net operating deficit of $2,328,000, which is in part due to reductions in State and Federal grant funding and an increase in depreciation costs.

During 2025/26, Council will deliver $16,055,500 in Capital Projects, $2,928,000 in Operational Projects and $14,156,000 is set to be invested on the local road network as part of this year’s capital and operational budget.

In terms of flood recovery works on our road network, $13,024,000 will be delivered to restore road networks back to pre-flood conditions, and given recent flood events, Council expects an increase in flood recovery works on our road network of around $20 million that is currently awaiting approvals through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Our Council is heavily reliant on Federal Assistance Grants, and the inconsistent timing of payments has created an additional challenge for the budget, as the allocations for financial years are coming in before and after the allocated year.

Following a brief pause in 2024/25, the transition to a Single Rural Rating Strategy will recommence this year with a view to finalising this transition in the 2027/28 financial year to streamline and consolidate rural rates into a more equitable system.

Despite the challenges of reduced grant funding and rising costs, rate increases for 2025/26 have been limited to an average of 4%, or around $115 per residential property per annum.

Mayor Samantha O’Toole acknowledged the significant work by Council to develop the budget, while continuing to deliver core infrastructure and services for residents.

“We are all well aware of the significant cost-of-living pressures and as a Council we too are experiencing an increase in the cost of services and materials that we source to deliver for our community”, said Mayor O’Toole.

“As a result of service and material price increases, this budget has been a particularly challenging process with a great deal of belt-tightening within Council to reduce costs in this budget while continuing to deliver services to our residents.

“We are aware that Council’s across the board are facing similar challenges and our measured and constrained approach to this budget has avoided the need for significant rates increases or cuts to services.

“As a Council, we rely heavily on grant funding to deliver for our community with rates only covering around 26% of our costs and we have seen funding from State and Federal governments become more and more constrained, which places a heavy burden upon Council to do more with less.

“When set against the backdrop of reduced grant funding and cost increases, I commend everyone within Council for finding efficiencies and cost savings to pull together a budget that delivers for residents while keeping rates increases as low as possible.”

Council remains committed to transparency in financial planning and reporting and will report on the progress on the budget on a monthly basis and monitor the delivery of the 2025/26 Operational Plan on a quarterly basis.

ENDS

For more information: Josh Euler - Corporate Communications Manager - 0423 786 672 - josh.euler@balonne.qld.gov.au

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

  • Overall Revenue - $53.62M
  • Overall External Funding - $38.07M
  • Operational Budget - $52.53M
  • Capital Budget - $16.06M
  • Roads and Streets – $23.71M
  • Water & Sewerage – $4.30M
  • Waste Management – $2.85M
  • Cemeteries, Parks & Gardens – $1.37M
  • Rural Services – $1.30M
  • Sports & Swimming – $919K
  • Aerodromes - $743K
  • Libraries – $668K
  • Community & Tourism Grants - $182K

KEY ROAD INVESTMENT

  • Noondoo-Mungindi Road Bitumen Sealing - $756K
  • Whyenbah Road Bitumen Sealing - $675K
  • Bollon-Dirranbandi Road Bitumen Re-seal - $825K
  • Hebel-Goodooga Road Land Acquisition - $240K
  • Noondoo-Thallon Road Floodway Upgrades - $640K
  • St George - Victoria St Footpath Renewal - $175K
  • Various Road Re-Sheet Program - $1.5M
  • Various Road Re-seal Program - $326K

PRIORITY PROJECTS

  • Industrial Development - St George - $1.443M
  • Dirranbandi Water Treatment Plant - $200K
  • Balonne Sewer Relining - $547K
  • Sewerage Treatment Plant Upgrades – Bollon & Dirranbandi - $756K
  • St George Cemetery Expansion - Stage 2B - $278K
  • St George Integrated Stormwater - $149K
  • Dirranbandi Drainage Plans - $170K
  • Town Flood Studies - Various Towns - $345K

For more detailed information on this year’s budget, go to: www.balonne.qld.gov.au/About-Council/Publications-Media/Budget-Fees-and-Charges

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