View the Draft Budget 2022-23 (incorporating the 4-year draft budget)

Our Draft Budget 2022/23 funds the key initiatives of the second year of our Council Plan 2021-2025, with a commitment to being:

• A Vibrant, Respectful and Connected Community
• A Prosperous, Liveable and Flourishing Community
• Climate, Green and Sustainable
• Responsible, Transparent and Responsive

We will be supporting our community with an investment of $198.3M to deliver over 100 essential services including:

• Emptying 6.1 million bins and collecting 21,000 tonnes of green waste and 15,000 tonnes of recycling
• Approximately 20,000 immunisations
• Around 130,000 hours of aged care services and programs
• Improvements to accessibility arrangements for people living with a disability
• Planting 1,200 trees and 100,000 indigenous plants
• Maintenance of more than 56 sporting ovals and fields
• Introduction of a food and garden waste recycling service for all residential households
• Providing animal registrations for around 17,000 pets
• Maintenance of more than 30km of shared bike paths
• Direct employment for over 1000 creative professional to host performances, exhibitions, shows, festivals and events, reaching 300,000-plus audiences
• Four library branches open seven days a week with spaces to work, study and read with access to free Wi-Fi and computers to help bridge the digital divide
• Physical and digital library collections to meet the needs of our community, including language collections in Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Spanish, and Vietnamese

We’ll also be investing in a $65.7M capital works program to upgrade community infrastructure through renewing, upgrading and expanding leisure facilities, sports ovals, local roads and bridges, footpaths and cycleways and parks and open space areas.

The Draft Budget incorporates the 4-year budget for Council and is aligned to the 10-year Financial Plan adopted 28 June 2021. The 4-year budget is a requirement of the Local Government Act 2020 and must be in place by 30 June 2022. The purpose of the 4-year budget is to ensure that the 4-year Council Plan (2021-25) will be supported by planning for resources required for its effective delivery through:

• Long term planning through the 10-year Financial Plan and 10-year Asset Plan
• 4-year Revenue and Rating Plan
• 4-year Workforce Plan
• 4-year Budget

View the Draft Revenue and Rating Plan

The Revenue and Rating Plan, adopted on 28 June 2021, has been reviewed to incorporate the following changes:

• Inclusion of the Integrated Planning Framework (adopted June 2021)
• Introduction of the kerbside waste collection service charge and service rate for public waste collection
• Inclusion of the special charges and the special rate currently in place for Business Precincts (as requested by the applicable Traders Associations for the business precincts)
• Concessions based on equity principles for 2022/23, for the primary residence of residential ratepayers, as follows:
  • No net impact on households valued at $500,000 or less by the Valuer General* as a result of the separation of waste fees and the introduction of the kerbside waste collection service charge and service rate for public waste collection. Note that this concession will be automatically applied and does not require application.
  • No more than $100 per year for those who currently have a green-lidded bin (or $156.50 for those who don’t) through the introduction of the kerbside waste collection service charge and service rate for public waste collection, for properties valued from $500,000 up to $785,000** by the Valuer General* Note that this concession will be automatically applied and does not require application.
  • A safety net concession to offset the direct impact of the separation of waste fees and the introduction of the kerbside waste collection service charge and service rate for public waste collection for the principal place of residence for those experiencing financial hardship. Note that this concession will be automatically applied to pensioners in receipt of the pensioner rebate.
  • A pensioner rebate of $150 will be applied to support our pensioners
  • Concession for affordable housing properties owned or managed by Aboriginal Housing Victoria
• Removal of the community engagement section, which will be governed by the adopted Community Engagement Policy.

The draft Revenue and Rating Plan has been subject to an equity impact assessment, in accordance with the Toward Equality Framework, through the review process.

*The valuation relates to the ‘capital improved valuation’ or ‘CIV’ as determined by the Valuer General

** Properties above $785,000 are not impacted by more than the $100 ($156.50) cap

View the Draft Rates and Financial Hardship Policy

The Rates Financial Hardship Policy, adopted on 26 February 2018, has been reviewed. The primary changes have been to update the concession mechanisms introduced to support the separation of waste cost recovery from general rates. These include:

• A safety net concession for ratepayers experiencing financial hardship to offset the direct impact of the separation of waste fees and the introduction of the kerbside waste collection service charge and service rate for public waste collection for the principal place of residence. Note that this concession will be automatically applied to pensioners in receipt of the pensioner rebate (currently 6,468 ratepayers) and is available upon application to eligible ratepayers.
• A pensioner rebate on general rates will be applied to support our pensioners. There are currently 6,468 pensioners eligible and in receipt of this rebate.
• A simplified approach to hardship applications.

The draft Rates Financial Hardship Policy has been subject to an equity impact assessment, in accordance with the Toward Equality Framework.

The State Government is overhauling household recycling to reduce waste, increase recycling and make the most of our resources.

A key part of the change means that councils are now required to roll out four bins: a rubbish bin, a recycling bin, a food and green waste bin and a glass bin.

Implementing these changes, along with the State Government’s decision to increase the landfill levy, will leave Council with an estimated shortfall of $26 million over 10 years and increase costs above what Council can recover through rates.

This means we need to change the way we charge for waste.

If you pay rates in Darebin, from 1 July 2022 the following charges will appear as separate items on your rates notice:

• A kerbside waste fee for your bin collection and waste processing.
• A public waste rate to pay for street cleaning, dumped rubbish collection and public litter bins.

The kerbside waste fee will only apply to households receiving waste collection services. All ratepayers will pay the public waste charge.

We have developed a rates waste estimator to help residential, business and multiuse ratepayers in estimating the fees applicable. Use the estimator to find out what your rates and applicable waste fees may be.

Around 5,800 households that will pay an estimated $2 (with existing food and garden waste service) or $3 extra per week (with no existing food and garden waste service). For all other ratepayers it will be less than $2 per week. Most will pay less than this and some will be better off.

We’re supporting financially disadvantaged households by including a range of concessions to make the change fairer for lower value property owners as well as expanding the hardship safety net. A pensioner rebate will be applied to support our pensioners with general rates.

More information on concessions to support this change is available in the Revenue and Rating Plan and Rates Financial Hardship Policy sections.

View our Darebin Waste Fees video below.

Use our estimator to calculate what your rates and applicable waste fees may be.

To support the introduction of the Service Rate for Public Waste Collection and Kerbside Collection Service Charge, two concessions have been introduced for the 2022/23 year. These two concessions align to equity principles in accordance with the Toward Equality Framework, to address inequity across the municipality and the impact of this change.

A concession for residential properties with a CIV value at $500,000 or less by the Valuer General that equate to no net increase as a result of this change. This concession will automatically be applied to the principal place of residence for ratepayers and will not require an application.

A concession for residential properties with a CIV value from $500,000 up to $785,000 by the Valuer General that caps the impact of the introduction of the kerbside waste collection service fee to a maximum of $100 increase for residential properties that currently receive the green waste collection service. A cap of a $156.50 increase for households that do not currently receive the green waste collection service. Note: the cap is not required for properties valued above $785,000, as the impact is less than the cap.

These concessions have been granted to assist the proper development of the municipal district in accordance with s169 (1(a)) and (1B(b)) of the Local Government Act 1989 and the Toward Equality Framework. The concession will apply to owner occupiers of rateable properties who satisfy the terms specified by Council that directly relate to the community benefit. Given the concession is based on property value, it will be applied directly by Council for all eligible properties based on property value (CIV) as informed by the Valuer General and no application will be necessary.

The benefit to the broader community through these concessions (aligned to equity principles) include:

Further information is contained within the Draft Revenue and Rating Plan provided on this section of the Your Say project page.

Council first introduced a pensioner rebate of $50 on general rates in 2009/10. Over time this has increased to $100 in 2011/12, $130 in 2013/14 and $150 in 2015/16.

The Council-funded rate rebate proposed for 2022/23 remains at $150 and will continue to be provided to residential pensioner ratepayers in addition to the State Government pensioner rates concession.

The pensioner rate rebate is in place to assist in the proper development of the municipal district, in accordance with section 169 of the Local Government Act 1989. There are currently 6,468 pensioners eligible and in receipt of this rebate.

Further information is contained within the Draft Rates Financial Hardship Policy provided on this section of the Your Say project page.

View map of proposed Reservoir Village Special Rate area

For the past 20 years, Reservoir Village has had such a Special Rate Scheme in place for the properties used for retail and commercial purposes in the Reservoir Village Precinct that benefit from precinct specific business marketing events, promotion, advertising and marketing material including social media, and centre management.

On 1 March 2022, the Reservoir Village Traders Association requested that Council establish a new special rate for a five-year period, to a total of $75,000 in year 1, rising by CPI in years 2-5.

The revenue collected through the Special Rate Scheme is paid in full to the Traders Association who, in turn, deliver services that benefit the businesses in the precinct, including, but not limited to:

• Digital marketing;
• Promotional and marketing events;
• Promotional advertising, marketing and public relations material;
• Improvement of the branding of the centre;
• Centre management, including employment of a Centre Coordinator;
• Installation of centre décor and displays;
• Works to enhance the appearance and amenity of the centre in addition to those provided generally by Council; and
• Incidental costs related to the above including expenses related to the declaration and levying of the rate.

Under Section 163 of the Local Government Act 1989, Council is empowered to declare a special rate for the purposes of these purposes. Council does not retain any of the money collected, it simply administers the collection and distribution of funds.

The amounts payable under the current Special Rate Scheme for Reservoir Village (2017-2022) are summarised below:

• $340pa - $600pa: 25 properties (28% of all affected properties)
• $601pa - $1,000pa: 45 properties (50%)
• Greater than $1,000pa: 20 properties (22%)

Further information is contained within the Draft Revenue and Rating Plan provided on this section of the Your Say project page.

In 2019 Darebin reviewed its Statement of Commitment to renew, strengthen and formalise Council’s long standing commitment and relationship with the diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of Darebin. Darebin City Council acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as the traditional owners and custodians of the land and waters we now call Darebin and affirmed that the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people have lived on this land for millennia practising their customs and ceremonies of celebration, initiation and renewal.

Council also has a firm commitment through the Toward Equality Framework in recognising Australia’s First peoples and advancing social justice.

Council has established Memorandum of Understanding with Aboriginal Housing Victoria, and this concession is further commitment to the ongoing relationship.

Toward these commitments, effective 1 July 2022 Council is proposing to introduce a concession for general rates for all properties owned or managed by Aboriginal Housing Victoria as a ‘registered agency’, relating to the provision of affordable housing, in accordance with s169 (1d) of the Local Government Act 1989.

Further, Council confirms the existing exemption from general rates for properties owned or managed by Aboriginal Housing Victoria for charitable purposes, excluding those used for affordable housing.

This concession has been granted to assist the proper development of the municipal district in accordance with s169 (1(a)) and (1B(b)) of the Local Government Act 1989, the Statement of Commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the Toward Equality Framework.

The benefit to the broader community through the concession (aligned to equity principles) include:

• Recognising Australia’s First peoples. (Statement of Commitment)
• Recognising and seeking to address financial inequity within our community through targeted and customised responses that prioritise the application of equity.
• Advancing social justice. (Towards Equality Framework)

Further information is contained within the Draft Revenue and Rating Plan provided on this section of the Your Say project page.