The City of Melville is in the process of finalising its Annual Budget for the 2025-2026 financial year with a key focus on delivering services and projects that meet the needs of the community while ensuring long term financial sustainability.
The City’s Rating Strategy was endorsed by Council at the May 2025 Ordinary Meeting of Council, and the proposed rates for the 2025-2026 financial year equating to a proposed increase of 4.5% rate revenue when compared to 2024-2025.
Following the May Council meeting, the City is now inviting community feedback on the proposed differential general rates and minimum rate, as outlined in the Notice of Intention to Levy Differential Rates.
This is an important opportunity for residents to have their say and share their views on the proposed rate changes.
The 2025-2026 Annual Budget is being finalised and will be presented to Council for adoption at the June Ordinary Meeting of Council.
The 2025-2026 Annual Budget will be strongly aligned with community and Council priorities, supporting the continued delivery of high-quality services and facilities for the community.
The City remains mindful of the community’s capacity to pay and the ongoing cost of living pressures while also ensuring long term financial sustainability in a challenging economic climate.
The proposed average rates will increase from $1,980 per year to an estimated $2,077, which is an estimated increase of $97.00 per year or $1.86 per week.
The community’s rates help contribute to a diverse range of services and capital works projects across five key outcome areas of healthy safe and inclusive, clean and green, sustainable and connected development, vibrant and prosperous, and good governance and leadership.
These services include but are not limited to:
- Roads, drainage, streetscapes, tree planting and maintenance, footpaths and other infrastructure
- Parks, playgrounds, bushland and river foreshore management and associated facilities
- Waste collection and recycling
- Planning and Building Development assessments, approvals and compliance and public health monitoring and compliance.
- LeisureFit centres, sports change rooms and ovals, Healthy Melville and leisure facility planning
- Community centres, libraries, museums, volunteer support, rangers, community safety services, culture and events.
For the Notice of Intention to Levy Differential Rates, ratepayers and electors can also make a submission online, or by post by
4.00pm Thursday, 12 June 2025.
For more information, visit
www.melvillecity.com.au/differentialrates The funding proposals include the following principles in relation to each rating category for differential rates and minimum rates.
| Rating Category | Rate in $ | Minimum Rate |
| Residential Improved/unimproved | 7.654765 | $1,498.97 |
| Commercial Improved/unimproved | 9.430704 | $1,215.31 |
Comments attributed to City of Melville Mayor Katy Mair: “Each year the City of Melville has a robust annual business planning and budget process, and our Council is again committed to endorsing a budget that balances these cost of living pressures with the need to ensure long-term and intergenerational financial sustainability for the City and future generations.
“The City is committed to delivering community and Council priorities, managing inflationary impacts, delivering services and projects that meet the needs of the community while ensuring long term financial sustainability.
“I encourage the community to head online to our website to see what the proposed differential rates are for them and to have their say.”