Information Regarding IP&R Documents

Published on 14 May 2026

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Yass Valley Council has released the draft 2026/27 Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) documents for Public Consultation on Your Voice Counts.

Yass Valley Council is working towards becoming a more financially sustainable Council, and that means key decisions are being made about how to allocate funds in the future. The IP&R documents outline the short-term operational plan and budgets on how Council plan to manage community services, assets and staff over the next 12 months.

The IP&R documents cover the services that matter to community - like roads, water, waste, parks and recreation, community services, sporting facilities, planning and development.

Yass Valley Council has a strong commitment to financial sustainability. Water rates increases and SRV are just two of many levers Council is pulling to become financially sustainable, including:

  • Crago Mill Stage 2 ceased
  • In house CFO and Finance Team fully resourced
  • Improved financial management reporting
  • Improved Integrated Planning and Reporting Document Suite
  • Continuation of the identification of business improvement and service review opportunities focusing on efficiency, cost reduction, productivity, revenue, and service delivery
  • Implementation of the overhead attribution methodology to the externally restricted funds, involving accurately assigning Council overhead costs to the correct external services (waste, water and sewer), to ensure an accurate and fair division of expenses
  • Improve systems, processes, capacity, and governance around financial management
  • Improved engagement with Audit Risk Improvement Committee
  • The proposed adoption of a Property Strategy for Yass Valley Council to provide a framework for Council-owned properties to be managed in a strategic way to:
  • retire debt incurred in the General Fund for the Crago Mill project
  • establish a sustainable revenue stream not reliant on rates or grants
  • accumulate a portfolio of assets to provide a sound financial base from which Council can address future financial challenges

Draft Long Term Financial Plan

The draft Long Term Financial Plan 2026-36 includes a number of financial scenarios for consideration to address Council’s long term financial sustainability, including high-level financial modelling of potential future Special Rate Variation of 35% or 50%.

Yass Valley Council would like to reiterate that this modelling does not constitute endorsement or approval to progress with a SRV at this time.

This high-level modelling helped shape Council’s decision about whether to commit resources to undertake further detailed SRV financial modelling with a report due back to Council at the July 2026 meeting.  Any decision to consider a future SRV would be subject to a period of community consultation and Council endorsement. 

Proposed increase to Water Fees and Charges

Council identified that the General Fund has been subsidising the externally restricted funds, namely water, sewer and waste. The impact of this is that the true cost of providing these services has been absorbed by the broad rate base rather than directly passed on to consumers of these services.

The factors affecting the increase are the review of costs, including the attribution of whole of Yass Valley Council costs including administrative and corporate costs to the Water Fund (previously met by the General Fund).  The total attributable cost is $883,257 for 2026-27.  The deficit created through this attribution is addressed through the pricing of Water supply and services.  Note, not withstanding comparisons with other Council Water fees and charges, the Water Funds needs to operate on a cost recovery basis and Council circumstances may differ. 

To achieve a balanced Water Fund, Council has applied increase by 30% to Water Fees and Charges in addition to CPI (total 34.2%) in year 2026/27.

Draft Property Strategy

The Draft Property Strategy takes a holistic assessment of how Council’s property portfolio can be managed in a strategic way to provide a sound foundation for financial sustainability into the future.

The Draft Property Strategy addresses how Council ownership of property can deliver better outcomes for the community in terms of economic development, public open spaces, social and community facilities, urban development, rural townships and financial investment.  The Property Strategy is designed to be self-funding through the recycling of property assets and add no ongoing net cost to Council’s budget while meeting these objectives.

For more information and to ‘Have Your Say’ on the IP&R documents visit Your Voice Counts available here: Your Voice Counts

 

 

 

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