Finance and Facilities Committee - 9 Mar 2026

Key decisions

• NEWLOG draft budget endorsed
  Council endorsed the draft North East Weight of Loads Group (NEWLOG) budget for 2026/27 and its Long-Term Financial Plan.
  May influence regional heavy vehicle load management and related council budget planning.
• Draft 2026/27 rating structure approved for operational plan
  Council approved a base rating structure for the draft 2026/27 Operational Plan, including under-50% residential base revenue, aligned base amounts across residential, business, farmland and mining categories, 18.65% of rate yield from business properties, farmland set at about 81% of the residential rate in the dollar, and mining set equal to business.
  Directly affects how general rates are shared across property categories in 2026/27.
• Rating figures noted subject to IPART decision
  Council noted indicative 2026/27 rating figures based on a 6.0% Special Rate Variation; if IPART does not approve it, the 3.4% rate peg already set by IPART will apply instead.
  Residents and businesses may see different rate increases depending on IPART’s ruling.
• Waste financial plans endorsed for exhibition
  Council endorsed draft fees and charges plus long-term financial plans for Landfill and Resource Management and Domestic Waste Management for exhibition in the draft 2026/27 to 2029/30 Delivery Program and 2026/27 Operational Plan.
  Could affect future waste charges and service funding.
• Wastewater annual charges and financial plan endorsed for exhibition
  Council endorsed wastewater annual charges and the Wastewater Operations long-term financial plan for exhibition in the draft 2026/27 to 2029/30 Delivery Program and 2026/27 Operational Plan.
  May affect sewer charges for connected properties.
• Water charges and financial plan endorsed for exhibition
  Council endorsed 2026/27 water charges and the Water Operations long-term financial plan for exhibition, including a 20mm water access charge rising from $265 to $281, water consumption under 350kl rising from $2.99 to $3.17, water consumption over 350kl rising from $4.49 to $4.76, and vacant land charge rising from $265 to $281.
  Directly affects household and property water bills if adopted after exhibition.

Important topics

• Special Rate Variation uncertainty
  The draft rating structure is based on a proposed 6.0% Special Rate Variation, but the fallback is the 3.4% IPART rate peg if approval is not granted.
  Final rates are not yet locked in and depend on a regulator’s decision.
• Draft plans moving to exhibition
  Multiple financial plans and charges were endorsed for exhibition as part of the draft 2026/27 Operational Plan and 2026/27 to 2029/30 Delivery Program.
  Residents may have an opportunity to review and comment before final adoption.

Resident impacts

• General rate settings for residential, business, farmland and mining categories were shaped for the 2026/27 draft budget.
• Water access, consumption and vacant land charges were proposed to increase by 6.0% for 2026/27.
• Wastewater charges were advanced for public exhibition, signalling possible bill changes.
• Waste and landfill-related fees and charges were advanced for exhibition, which may affect service costs.
• Final rate rises remain partly dependent on whether IPART approves the proposed Special Rate Variation.

Places affected

• Ballina Shire (shire)
  The rating, water, wastewater and waste decisions apply across the council area.
• 40 Cherry Street, Ballina (council facility)
  Meeting venue.

Next steps

• Place the endorsed draft budgets, fees, charges and long-term financial plans on public exhibition within the draft 2026/27 Operational Plan and 2026/27 to 2029/30 Delivery Program.
  Next stage of the 2026/27 budget process
• Await IPART’s decision on the proposed 6.0% Special Rate Variation; otherwise apply the 3.4% rate peg.
  Before finalising 2026/27 rates

Extracted minutes text

MINUTES OF THE FINANCE AND FACILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING` OF THE BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL HELD IN THE BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL CHAMBERS 40 CHERRY STREET, BALLINA, ON 9/03/26 AT 4:15 PM Ballina Shire Council Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting Minutes 09/03/26 of 4 Attendance Crs Sharon Cadwallader (Mayor - in the chair), Michelle Bailey, Simon Kinny, Damian Loone (Online), Therese Crollick, Simon Chate, Erin Karsten, Eva Ramsey and Kiri Dicker. Paul Hickey (General Manager), Troy Anderson (Director - Civil Services Division), Matthew Wood (Director - Planning and Environmental Health Division), Caroline Klose (Director - Corporate and Community Division) and Nikki Glassop (Executive Assistant...