At the time of writing, not all councils have finalised their upcoming 2026/7 budgets. Many were still in the throes of engaging residents for their ‘ideas’ which would assist in forming the final budget drafts. However, plenty of councils have already published their budget proposals.
We have concentrated on the proposed rate increases by these councils. Please remember that our council has decided that the current rate cap of 2.75% is not enough. So they will be arguing before the ESS for a variation of the rate cap that will mean a 5% rate increase for residents.
When we compare what Glen Eira is doing, as opposed to other councils, many questions surface. For starters:
- What does this say about Glen Eira’s financial acumen and its responsibility to rate payers?
- Why can other councils survive without applying for an increase above the rate cap – including one council that will even go below the current rate cap?
- How much money is wasted by our council?
Listed below are all the councils currently advertising their budgets. Please note carefully their intended rate increase!!!!!!
Ararat – 2.25%
Bass coast -2.75%
Bayside – 2.75%
Boroondara – 2.75%
Buloke – 2.75%
Cardinia – 2.75%
Casey – 2.75%
Central Goldfields – 2.75%
Gannawarra – 2.75%
Glenelg – 2.75%
Hobson’s Bay – 2.75%
Kingston – 2.75%
Knox – 2.75%
Latrobe – 2.75%
Maribyrnong – 2.75%
Melbourne 2.75%
Melton – 2.75%
Merri-bek – 2.75%
Moonee Valley – 2.75%
Nillumbik – 2.75%
Port Phillip – 2.75%
Queenscliff – 2.75%
South Gippsland – 2.75%
Stonnington – 2.75%
Surf coast – 2.75%
Warrnambool – 2.75%
Wellington – 2.75%
Wellington – 2.75%
West Wimmera – 2.75%
Whitehorse – 2.75%
Whittlesea – 2.75%
Yarra – 2.75%
Yarra Ranges – 2.75%
Glen Eira Debates 
May 6, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Whilst I deeply appreciate the work Glen Eira Debates does, I think this is definitely an apples – raisins comparisons.
Glen Eira is a metro municipality with a population of 148,908 (2021 census) and total expenses of $213,761,000 (2025 annual report).
Ararat is a rural city council with a population of 11,880 (2021 census) and total expenses of $36,369,000 (2025 annual report).
Having said that, Glen Eira had a surplus in 2025 of $21,484,000, whilst Ararat had a surplus in 2025 of $1,157,000.
For both, the total comprehensive result was significantly higher, mainly due to asset revaluations.
The point is – Ararat and Glen Eira are not comparable. Their communities and organisations are very different. They are not even in the same category in the Vic local government classification scheme (https://www.vic.gov.au/know-your-council-comparison-dashboard)
May 7, 2026 at 10:18 AM
Of course each municipality is unique and has its own issues. Ararat for example is 4200 square km and has 2400 of local roads to look after. That’s not in question here. What needs to be considered is the basic question of how councils manage their funding, assets, etc and why Glen Eira seeks to almost double the rate cap, whilst every other council we’ve listed (and many are metropolitan) are not seeking such a rate rise. Readers may also remember that for over a decade in the 2000’s Glen Eira’s rate increase was also well above other coucils with an annual increase of 6.5%.
May 7, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Glen Eira is the most open-space deficient municipalities in metropolitan Melbourne.
Using the Victorian Planning Authority figures for public open space as a share of total municipal land area:
That means Glen Eira has:
Some comparisons with nearby councils:CouncilPublic open spaceGlen Eira City Council4.4%Stonnington City Council5.9%Bayside City Council8.7%Monash City Council8.8%Metro Melbourne average9.3%Port Phillip City Council19.5%Melbourne City Council20.9%
On a per-person basis, Glen Eira has been described by council itself as having:
Glen Eira should be saving a truck-load of cash in not having to manage this lack of open space. Or – what open space we do have should be Gold Plated which it isn’t.
Less Parks Services staff, less machinery, less fuel bills, the list goes on, and adds up to a huge cost saving in comparison with other neighbouring council areas.
I figure the Town Hall bureaucrats havn’t seen a renovation for decades and would like a good few million spent on upgrading their comfort levels. And guess who’s paying for their wish list.