Source: New South Wales Ministerial News
The City of Greater Bendigo is inviting residents to help shape the 2026–2027 Budget by completing a short survey about what matters most to you.
The Budget funds over 60 essential services that support daily life in the community including bin collections, looking after parks and gardens, road maintenance, early learning centres, public events and tourism, planning and environmental health services, arts venues like the Ulumbarra Theatre and much more.
The City also maintains $3.4B of important community infrastructure, including bridges and recreational facilities.
Around 60% of Budget revenue comes from rates, with the remainder from user fees and government grants.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf encouraged residents to get involved in the short Budget survey.
“The City does not have as much money available to fund new projects compared to pre-COVID times. Costs have gone up a lot more than our income from rates, grants, charges and fees over the past five years and that gap is increasing,” Cr Metcalf said.
“With increasing needs in our community and rising costs including materials and other expenses, we may need to consider further options for managing costs in the future.
“The 2026-2027 Budget survey is available on our online engagement platform Let’s Talk Greater Bendigo, and residents are asked to select five areas that the City looks after that matter to you.
“Feedback will be reviewed alongside other Budget factors, including existing commitments and multi-year projects. It is also important to realise that Budget planning is ongoing and shaped by community input all year-round, not just this public engagement at the end of each year.
“Around 80% of requests to customer service by phone, online requests, or in person are driven by community needs, and those everyday interactions help guide decisions and shape the Budget in real time because those lodged requests are assessed. City staff also review infrastructure to plan renewals and upgrades to ensure they meet current and future needs.”
The survey closes on Monday October 20.
To give your feedback, head to: