Have your say on rates and waste services
Published on 12 May 2025
Campaspe Shire Council recently held a successful roundtable discussion to engage with community members on the topics of rates and waste services. The session, held on Friday, 2 May 2025, aimed to gather feedback and insights from the community to guide the Council's decision-making process.
The roundtable focused on two key areas: how rates are levied as per Council’s Revenue and Rating Plan and the funding of the waste portfolio. Participants discussed the current rates differential, potential adjustments, and the classification of various categories such as rural farm, residential, and commercial properties. The funding of the waste portfolio was also a major topic, with discussions on how to achieve full cost recovery and whether concessions should be applied to waste service charges.
A total of 13 participants attended the session to ensure geographical representation across Campaspe. The session was structured around four main parts: decision-making principles, understanding revenue and rates, funding a sustainable waste system, and ideas for broader community education and engagement. Detailed information was presented to the participants to enable informed decision-making during the four-hour facilitated session.
Key outcomes from the roundtable included the provision of guidance to Council on the approach to the municipal charge and overall rates distribution, and feedback on how each waste service should be funded. Ideas were also sought on how Council should communicate decisions to the wider community.
The group was supportive of a new Waste Facilities Levy to be charged, which would ensure that the cost of waste services used by all residents is shared by all ratepayers. This would include items such as maintenance of 12 closed landfills, litter collection, and operation of over 1,200 public litter bins.
The community roundtable believed this was the fairest way to apportion these costs, as every resident can access or benefit from these services to some degree. The roundtable believed the waste facilities levy is a clearer, more transparent charge which reduces cross-subsidisation and ensures people pay for the services they use. This approach is a hybrid model of revenue collection that balances user-pays principles with community-wide contributions for shared infrastructure and services. Where services are used by individuals or households (like kerbside collection) user pays charges apply. Where services benefit the whole community (like litter pickup and public bin collection) shared contributions are used.
The introduction of this new levy for all ratepayers would mean a decrease in the cost of kerbside collections for residents who utilise these specific services. However, the total cost to all ratepayers will increase due to the rising waste costs, driven by the State Government's 30% increase in the EPA waste levy.
Campaspe Shire Mayor Cr Daniel Mackrell said the roundtable was a great success and was able to guide decision-making for rate differentials and waste funding.
“This kind of targeted engagement not only allows us to build the community’s understanding of Council’s rating approach and its waste services, including its costs and funding, but also lets Council better understand the community’s views on these subjects,” said Cr Mackrell.
The updated Revenue and Rating Plan, along with the 2025/2026 Budget Fees & Charges, will be open to community feedback through Council’s website for three weeks from 9 May to 2 June 2025.
“This is your opportunity to have your say on the proposed Waste Facilities Levy, resource recovery centre fees, and bin service charges, as well as how we all share the rates across our municipality,” said the mayor.
Councillors will consider recommendations made by the roundtable and the broader community before adopting the Revenue and Rating Plan and the 2025/2026 budget on Tuesday, 17 June 2025.
To view the documents and provide feedback on the draft Revenue & Rating Plan 2025-29 or the 2025-26 Fees & Charges, click lnks below:
Revenue & Rating Plan 2025-29
2025-26 Fees & Charges