During the Murray River Council’s ordinary meeting on Monday, June 23, it adopted its 2025-26 Operational Plan.
The plan includes the revenue policy, fees and charges schedule and the 2025-26 budget and outlines the projects, services and initiatives that council proposes to deliver in the next financial year.
The proposed budget is based on a 5.3 per cent increase in general rate revenue, in line with the rate cap set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of NSW.
Access and usage charges for water and sewer will also only see increases in line with the rate cap this year, due to full cost recovery now being in place.
The 2025-26 budget forecasts an operating deficit of $3.93 million, excluding capital grants and gains or losses from asset sales.
The plan also includes a $34.6 million capital works program, with $23 million to come from internal resources and the remaining $11.6 million to be funded through capital grants and contributions.
Other large areas of committed capital spend noted in the budget include:
- regional road renewals, $3.7 million;
- Kyalite Rd widening, $3.6 million;
- Moama Water Treatment Plant upgrades, $2.5 million;
- Koraleigh Landfill rehabilitation, $1.7m;
- unsealed road resheeting, $1.3m;
- Moama Sewer Treatment Plant upgrades, $1.3m;
- Barham Sewer Treatment Plant upgrades. $1.1m; and
- other asset replacements, $4 million.
The draft operational documents were on display for 28 days with one submission received.
All adopted fees and charges come into effect from Tuesday, July 1.
The operational plan and supporting budget documents will be available for viewing at https://tinyurl.com/p934wfth
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