Merri-bek
City · Latest data: 2023-24 · Source: VLGGC Questionnaire · Rates vs Services → · Report Card →
Total Expenditure
$225.9m
2023-24
Capital Works
$87.6m
38.8% of expenditure
Governance Spend
$47,698,022
Local Roads Spend
$10,956,009
Governance / Roads
4.35x
spending more on itself
State Rank (Expenditure)
#16
of 79 councils
State avg expenditure: $147.1m
This council: $225.9m
State avg capital: $44.4m
This council: $87.6m
Per Capita (population: 178,420, 2023)
Expenditure / Resident
$1,266
Capital / Resident
$491
Governance / Resident
$267
Roads / Resident
$61
Expenditure Trend (9 Years)
Capital Works by Function (2023-24)
Expenditure by Function Over Time
Service Performance (ESC Rate Capping Outcomes)
Community Satisfaction
0.7
State avg: 0.5
#5 of 78
Roads Condition
0.9%
State avg: 1.0%
Bins Missed / 10k
16.5
State avg: 6.3
Employee Costs / Capita
$617
State avg: $915
Asset Renewal vs Depreciation
1.9%
running down assets
Satisfaction & Roads Condition
Employee Costs Per Capita & Bins Missed
Performance Indicators (LGPRF 2024-25)
Efficiency
2 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2 | Expenses per property assessment | 2849.1 | 4166.8 | ▲ |
| Council says: Expenditure between 2023-24 and 2024-25 has increased by 9.3% or $21.4 million while the number of property assessments has only increased by 1.8%. The increase in expenditure is primarily related to a $9.5 million increase in loss on disposal of … | ||||
| E4 | Average rate per property assessment | 1914.2 | 1951.9 | ▼ |
| Council says: This result has decreased slightly due to the nature of properties being processed through supplementary valuations in 2024/25. These properties were slightly below the average capital improvement value within the municipality, resulting in lower average rates charges against the municipality … | ||||
Governance
5 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Council decisions made at meetings closed to the public | 0.1 | 0.1 | ▲ |
| Council says: A total of 260 decisions were made at Council meetings held in the last financial year, with 13 decisions being made in meetings closed to the public (primarily due to being commercial in nature). This is an increase over previous … | ||||
| G2 | Satisfaction with community consultation and engagement | 68.0 | 55.0 | ▲ |
| Council says: The score for Merri-bek in 2025 is 68 which is consistent with our score in 2024 (69). This is the second year that Metropolis has completed the Customer Satisfaction Survey for Merri-bek. Metropolis' reporting typically shows a decline in outcomes … | ||||
| G3 | Councillor attendance at council meetings | 0.9 | 0.9 | — |
| Council says: Councillor attendance at meetings remains consistently high. When unable to attend, Councillors have provided apologies, and their absences have been acknowledged accordingly. | ||||
| G4 | Cost of elected representation | 60031.6 | 62511.3 | ▲ |
| Council says: The increase can mainly be attributed to the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal's determination to increase allowances. | ||||
| G5 | Satisfaction with council decisions | 69.0 | 54.0 | ▲ |
Roads
5 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Sealed local road requests | 105.8 | 58.2 | ▼ |
| R2 | Sealed local roads maintained to condition standards | 0.9 | 1.0 | ▼ |
| Council says: The percentage of sealed local roads below the intervention level has decreased slightly compared to previous years' results; however, the results remain within the expected range for ageing assets. | ||||
| R3 | Cost of sealed local road reconstruction | 308.4 | 132.1 | ▼ |
| R4 | Cost of sealed local road resealing | 42.8 | 19.9 | ▲ |
| R5 | Satisfaction with sealed local roads | 68.0 | 50.5 | — |
Statutory Planning
4 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP1 | Time taken to decide planning applications | 80.0 | 72.3 | ▼ |
| SP2 | Planning applications decided within required time frames | 0.8 | 0.7 | ▲ |
| SP3 | Cost of statutory planning service | 2275.8 | 3907.9 | ▲ |
| SP4 | Council planning decisions upheld at VCAT | 0.8 | 0.6 | ▲ |
| Council says: Results are reflective of good decision-making and the change in Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) practices leading to an increased number of consent orders following mediated outcomes. | ||||
Waste Collection
4 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC2 | Kerbside collection bins missed | 16.7 | 6.3 | ▼ |
| Council says: Missed service collections have remained stable, even with the addition of the expanded 4-bin service to our reporting framework for all waste streams for this reporting year. The majority of missed collections have occurred with the weekly general rubbish service. … | ||||
| WC3 | Cost of kerbside garbage bin collection service | 131.2 | 145.4 | ▲ |
| Council says: The increase in costs is mostly attributed to an increase of 2.7% in the waste levy and a 2.8% increase in tonnes of waste to landfill. | ||||
| WC4 | Cost of kerbside recyclables collection service | 44.4 | 76.8 | ▼ |
| Council says: For 2024/25 the cost is calculated as all recycling costs divided by number of glass and comingled recycling bins while the 2023/24 and prior year figures were calculated as all recycling costs divided by number of comingled recycling bins only. … | ||||
| WC5 | Kerbside collection waste diverted from landfill | 0.5 | 0.5 | ▼ |