Yarra Ranges
Shire · Latest data: 2023-24 · Source: VLGGC Questionnaire · Rates vs Services → · Report Card →
Total Expenditure
$237.4m
2023-24
Capital Works
$72.0m
30.3% of expenditure
Governance Spend
$69,945,390
Local Roads Spend
$15,617,225
Governance / Roads
4.48x
spending more on itself
State Rank (Expenditure)
#15
of 79 councils
State avg expenditure: $147.1m
This council: $237.4m
State avg capital: $44.4m
This council: $72.0m
Per Capita (population: 161,850, 2023)
Expenditure / Resident
$1,467
Capital / Resident
$445
Governance / Resident
$432
Roads / Resident
$96
Expenditure Trend (9 Years)
Capital Works by Function (2023-24)
Expenditure by Function Over Time
Service Performance (ESC Rate Capping Outcomes)
Community Satisfaction
0.5
State avg: 0.5
#69 of 78
Roads Condition
1.0%
State avg: 1.0%
Bins Missed / 10k
14.2
State avg: 6.3
Employee Costs / Capita
$500
State avg: $915
Asset Renewal vs Depreciation
1.3%
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 | 3661.5 | 4166.8 | ▲ |
| Council says: The increase is reflective of the rising costs of materials and services incurred to maintain service levels. Further impacted by the storm clean-up costs incurred and Preparing Australian Communities expenditure related to the grant received. | ||||
| E4 | Average rate per property assessment | 2161.3 | 1951.9 | ▲ |
Governance
5 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Council decisions made at meetings closed to the public | 0.0 | 0.1 | — |
| Council says: Council continues to pride itself on open and transparent decision making. Only four of 99 council decisions were made at meetings closed to the public. | ||||
| G2 | Satisfaction with community consultation and engagement | 46.0 | 55.0 | ▼ |
| G3 | Councillor attendance at council meetings | 0.9 | 0.9 | — |
| Council says: Councillor attendance has improved over previous years. Having the options to join online in extenuating circumstances has assisted. | ||||
| G4 | Cost of elected representation | 56303.9 | 62511.3 | ▲ |
| Council says: There was a small increase in cost of elected representation. Note: the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal increases Mayor/Deputy Mayor/Councillor allowances each year. | ||||
| G5 | Satisfaction with council decisions | 46.0 | 54.0 | ▲ |
| Council says: Council scored 46 in the 2025 Community Satisfaction Survey for this indicator, a notable increase from the previous year. Results were varied amongst different sub-groups of the community. Residents from the Urban region reported higher satisfaction (50) while residents from … | ||||
Roads
5 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Sealed local road requests | 95.3 | 58.2 | ▼ |
| R2 | Sealed local roads maintained to condition standards | 1.0 | 1.0 | — |
| R3 | Cost of sealed local road reconstruction | 100.8 | 132.1 | ▼ |
| Council says: This year, Council has completed three road rehabilitation projects: two rural spray seal local road sections and one rural collector road with asphalt seal. | ||||
| R4 | Cost of sealed local road resealing | 29.9 | 19.9 | ▲ |
| R5 | Satisfaction with sealed local roads | 41.0 | 50.5 | ▲ |
| Council says: The Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey reported that satisfaction with sealed local roads increased from 37 to 41 this year. Higher scores were reported by residents from the Urban region, whereas the Hills, Yarra Valley and Healesville-Yarra Glen regions reported … | ||||
Statutory Planning
4 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP1 | Time taken to decide planning applications | 102.0 | 72.3 | ▼ |
| SP2 | Planning applications decided within required time frames | 0.6 | 0.7 | ▲ |
| Council says: Improved timeframes from previous year. Reducing planning decisions within required timeframes has been a key area of focus. This has been added by application volumes remaining stable, alongside the implementation of the system improvements. The vacancy rate has reduced from … | ||||
| SP3 | Cost of statutory planning service | 3096.1 | 3907.9 | ▼ |
| SP4 | Council planning decisions upheld at VCAT | 0.6 | 0.6 | ▼ |
| Council says: The 38 per cent overturn (10 of 26 decisions) were mainly refusal decisions, where VCAT decided to issue an approval. This proportion is quite high, suggesting an opportunity to ensure refusal decisions are strongly aligned to planning policy. Consents and … | ||||
Waste Collection
4 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC2 | Kerbside collection bins missed | 11.9 | 6.3 | ▲ |
| Council says: Improvement to previous year. 2023-24 figure included three months of weekly garbage collections whereas 2024-25 only included fortnight garbage collections. | ||||
| WC3 | Cost of kerbside garbage bin collection service | 108.9 | 145.4 | ▼ |
| Council says: The costs of the kerbside garbage bin collection service has fallen with fortnightly services. The increase in bins is due to some residents requesting a second bin. An error was identified with the 2023-24 figure, which incorrectly included GST in … | ||||
| WC4 | Cost of kerbside recyclables collection service | 68.7 | 76.8 | ▼ |
| Council says: Costs have fallen from previous year. This is partly due to an error with the 2023-24 figure, which incorrectly included GST. | ||||
| WC5 | Kerbside collection waste diverted from landfill | 0.7 | 0.5 | ▲ |
Executive Remuneration (2023-24)
CEO Total Remuneration
$462,000
State avg: $462,000
CEO Cost Per Resident
$2.85
per year
Senior Officers Listed
5
2023-24
| Role | Title | Total Remuneration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer | Chief Executive Officer | $462,000 | Yarra Ranges Annual Report 2023-24 |
| Director / General Manager | Director Corporate Services | $312,000 | Yarra Ranges Annual Report 2023-24 |
| Director / General Manager | Director Environment and Infrastructure | $318,000 | Yarra Ranges Annual Report 2023-24 |
| Director / General Manager | Director Communities | $305,000 | Yarra Ranges Annual Report 2023-24 |
| Director / General Manager | Director Planning and Sustainable Futures | $308,000 | Yarra Ranges Annual Report 2023-24 |
Capital Projects
Yarra Ranges Gender Equality Action Plan
Under Construction
Community Facility
Implementation of council's Gender Equality Action Plan under the Gender Equality Act 2020 (Vic). Includes dedicated staff, training, and program delivery.
Consultation:
Minimal / Token
While mandated by the Gender Equality Act 2020, councils have discretion in how much they spend on implementation. Residents have questioned whether the expenditure is proportionate given declining core services.
Source: Yarra Ranges Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-25
Mount Evelyn Community Hub
Under Construction
Building
New community hub building in Mount Evelyn replacing existing facilities. Residents report no meaningful community consultation on the design or need. Council operated from temporary accommodation during construction, incurring additional rental costs.
Original: $18,500,000
Current: $22,000,000
Overrun: 18.9%
Consultation:
Minimal / Token
Associated costs: $850,000
— Estimated temporary office rental costs while council staff relocated during construction
Mount Evelyn residents have raised concerns about lack of consultation, cost overruns, and the diversion of funds from core services like road maintenance and waste collection.
Source: Yarra Ranges Capital Works Program