The Draft Budget 2015/16 proposes a rate increase of 4.75 per cent. This is in line with the level predicted in Council's Strategic Resource Plan adopted last year.

This increase is a combination of higher costs directly related to the current services we provide of around 3.0 per cent, plus additional costs imposed by government on Council and the focus on upgrading existing and acquiring new assets.



These costs include:

  • the need for urgent repairs for the Palais Theatre ($7.5 million in total, with $3.5 million allocated in 2015/16)
  • the impact of the State Government’s expanded Congestion Levy ($1.0 million)
  • covering the withdrawal of Commonwealth Government funding for Adventure Playgrounds to allow this important program for disadvantaged children to continue ($250,000).

These items alone are equivalent to a 4.7 per cent rate increase, and are over and above the 3.0 per cent increase in our base costs for delivering our core services and projects.

In seeking to reduce waste and achieve efficiencies across the organisation Council has also found permanent operational efficiency savings of over $3 million in addition to $2 million of savings made in the previous year. Had we not found these operational savings we would have seen a much higher rate increase.

Strategic Resource Plan 2014-18

The Draft Strategic Resource Plan (SRP) outlines Council’s planned investment of financial and non-financial resources over the four-year period 2015-19.

The Strategic Resource Plan identifies the resources required by Council to deliver on the objectives set out in the Council Plan 2013-17, and all Council services and initiatives planned to be delivered in the planning period.

The four-year SRP is prepared and revised annually to reflect the changing environment within which Council delivers the Council Plan. This includes consideration of the information gathered through the disciplined annual budget process that Council undertakes, as well as the significant external factors that impact on Council at any point in time.

Have your say on the Draft Council Plan 2013-17 (Year 3) and Draft Budget 2015/16:

Council Plan and Budget
City of Port Phillip
Private Bag 3
PO St Kilda VIC 3182


Submissions close at 5 pm on Thursday 4 June 2015.