Swan Hill Rural City Council is required to develop a Financial Plan for the next 10 years, to guide how the actions in the Council Plan are funded to achieve Council’s Community Vision.

Our Financial Plan will help us to plan for the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability. It will also help us to have a responsible framework that balances funding for infrastructure and services, while aligning with the Victorian State Government Fair Go Rates System and its rate capping guidelines.

The 10 Year Financial Plan is a long-term plan to finance projects, initiatives and programs that our community thinks are most important. It will allocate funding based on priorities identified in the Community Vision and Council Plan and ensures ongoing funds are in place for the essential services that Council provides.

We’ve heard what’s important to you via our Council Plan and Community Vision engagement sessions.

Now, we'd like you to prioritise these via our survey and interactive questions below, and we will look to address them via our Financial Plan.

Council adopts a budget detailing the services and activities that will be funded within the financial year. This includes all capital works and maintenance on current assets and operational expenses such as waste collection, maintenance of parks and gardens, cultural and arts activities and support for community groups and events.

For the 2025/26 year, for every $100 of expenditure it is used to provide for the following services:

• $24 - Transport services – sealed and unsealed roads, footpaths and cycleways
• $16 - Recreation and community facilities
• $9 - Environmental and waste management including drainage
• $10 – Building and planning, public health, safety and regulatory compliance
• $7 - Economic development and marketing services
• $10 - Governance and administration
• $6 - Cultural services (performing arts, library, art gallery)
• $5 – Pioneer Settlement
• $3 - Family, youth and children’s services (maternal child health, after school care, youth support)
• $10 – Other (Tower Hill & Livestock Exchange)

How would YOU allocate the Council budget?

Imagine you must allocate $100 across the 10 services listed above. Nominate your budget expenditure to each area. Council is committed to providing all services, so there is a minimum spend of $1 on each, but the full $100 is to be spent across all services.