Council Plan and Budget

The Local Government Act requires each Council to develop a four year Council Plan and Strategic Resource Plan to address the medium term needs of the community. The Act also requires each Council to adopt an annual budget for each financial year. Council Plans, Strategic Resource Plans and budgets are all available for public inspection at Council offices. They are also available online at http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/current_council_plan.htm

Reporting on the implementation of the Council Plan and budget is done through Quarterly reports and the Annual Report.

The Council Plan

Council is required to prepare and adopt a Council Plan by 30 June in the year following a general election (general elections are conducted in November every four years, as of 2008).

A Council Plan must include:

The strategic objectives of the council.
Strategies for achieving those objectives over the next four years
A Strategic Resource Plan
Strategic indicators for monitoring the achievement of the objectives

At least once every year Council must consider whether the Council Plan requires any adjustment in respect to the remaining period of the plan. If a Council Plan is to be changed, the changes must also be subject to the public consultation process.

Strategic Resource Plan

The Strategic Resource Plan is part of the Council Plan. It describes the resources required to achieve the strategic objectives in the Council Plan. It must always cover the resource needs for at least the next four years and must be adopted by 30 June each year. Therefore, the Strategic Resource Plan is prepared on a rolling basis to cover at least the next 4 years.

A Strategic Resource Plan must include:

Standard Statements describing the financial resources required for the next four financial years
Statements describing the non-financial resources required for the next four financial years

The Annual Budget

Council must prepare a budget for each financial year. The budget must include:

The standard statements for the budget year (which are the Standard Income Statement, the Standard Balance Sheet, the Standard Cash Flow Statement and the Standard Statement of Capital Works
A description of the activities and initiatives to be funded in the budget, and a statement of how those activities and initiatives will contribute to the strategic objectives in the Council Plan
Separately identified Key Strategic Activities to be undertaken during the financial year and performance targets and measures in relation to each Key Strategic Activity (reported on in a performance statement in the annual report)

The budget must also include additional information relating to levels of Council rates, impacts of Council rates, and borrowings and debt. Before adopting the budget, a Council must give public notice of its intention to adopt the budget and invite public submissions. The notice must advise where copies of the proposed budget are available for inspection.