Our rates, Our say — How to have a VOICE

The Hepburn Shire Council 2026-2027 budget will be made public at the Council meeting on Tuesday 26 May. Unfortunately, this means there can be no community discussion prior to that meeting. Any revisions will then be made in time for the June meeting for the final decision.

A Community Meeting is being held on Monday 1 June to make sure Trentham residents have access to information. Cr Brian Hood will explain a Shire-wide perspective and there will be templates available for you to use to write your response to the Councillors.

Everyone is invited to the meeting at The Mechanics, commencing at 7pm.

The Trentham Trumpet for June will also include some information from Cr Hood on these matters so check that out too.

Last year, Council successfully applied to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) for approval to raise rates by 10%, well above the standard cap. That application was approved. But the ESC's own published decision made clear that Hepburn remains in an unsustainable financial position even after that increase, and that further work is needed. The ESC also noted that Council could have done more to communicate the outcomes of its community engagement and how resident feedback was actually taken into account.

There is nothing in the rules preventing Council from applying for another above-cap rate increase in coming years if the financial position doesn't improve. The current budget decisions will directly influence whether that happens.

Meanwhile, Council has announced it's been nominated for a sector award: for the Financial Vision and rate-cap submission that gave us that 10% increase. We think residents deserve some context about what that nomination actually means, and what the independent regulator really said.

The Community Briefing Note below sets all of this out clearly and fairly. At the town meeting on Monday 1 June there will be templates to assist you in writing to Councillors.

Community Briefing Note.pdf

Download PDF • 139KB

YOUR VOICE MATTERS Councils take notice when residents engage, and they take residents for granted when they don't. This is one of those moments where SHOWING UP MATTERS.

If you're not already a member of the Trentham Community Action Group and you want to stay across issues like this, the ones that shape the town we love, this is what TCA is for, to engage the community and to keep a watchful, informed, and constructive eye on decisions that affect Trentham. Membership is open to anyone who cares about this community's future.

Head over to https://www.trenthamvic.org.au/contact to fill in the membership form.