Council Plan and Budget
The Council Plan is our strategic plan that guides all our work. It provides a strong foundation for the continuing rollout of projects, services and initiatives that go to the heart of the health and wellbeing of our diverse community.
Council Plan and Budget documents
Until 30 June 2023
Council Plan 2021-2031 Year Two - Volume 1 Vision and Direction (PDF 4.31 MB)
Council Plan 2021-2031 Year Two - Volume 2 Budget 2022-23 (PDF 2.71 MB)
Council Plan 2021-2031 Year Two - Volume 3 Service Profiles (PDF 1.90 MB)
Adopting and implementing the Council Plan 2021-31 Year Two
On Wednesday 29 June, Council adopted Year Two of the Council Plan 2021-31 and 2022/23 Budget.
Our community has told us that reducing our impact on the environment and managing waste in a sustainable way is critically important. Our new waste strategy aims to meet community expectations as well as our legislative obligations.
This includes introducing two additional waste services that will provide our community with sustainable ways to recycle food organics and garden organics (FOGO) as well as glass. The introduction of new waste services coincides with waste-related costs significantly rising.
As a result, a waste charge is now part of our Budget. Separated from the general rates, this will cover the extra costs of existing and new waste services. Most Victorian councils already have a separate waste charge. As well as handling these extra costs, a waste charge is more transparent as you can see exactly what you are paying for these services on your rates notice.
Fairness is at the heart of the change to our Rating Strategy from Net Annual Value (NAV) to Capital Improved Value (CIV). This simpler mechanism based on a property’s market (sale) value, rather than the rental value, will help us more fairly distribute rates through the use of differential rating mechanisms. Under the NAV system, changes in property valuation since 2016/17 have seen a rates distribution shift of up to $900,000 away from commercial and industrial properties to residential properties.
In another first, this year’s Budget includes an Enterprise Asset Management Plan to guide how we look after our City’s assets – from parks and playgrounds to roads and our historic Town Halls. Our community expects all these assets to stay in good condition and this plan shows the proposed spending on maintenance, renewal, upgrades and new infrastructure to deliver this outcome.
Please view our news item for a summary of changes to Council Plan and Budget.
Our community vision
Proudly Port Phillip: A liveable and vibrant City that enhances the wellbeing of our community
A decade from now…
We recognise the legacy of the traditional owners of the land, the Yaluk-ut Weelam Clan of the Boonwurrung and acknowledge the foresight of others who have come before us.
We celebrate Port Phillip as a city of many distinct places, connected by the common threads of safety, inclusion and wellbeing so everyone can live their best life.
Social cohesion, forged from understanding, celebrating and listening to the diverse cultures in our City, is a foundation for this success.
We have a well-designed and planned city where the heritage and character of the built form of our City is enhanced and protected.
We are renowned as a cultural hub, from live music to our creative industries. This creativity drives music, exhibitions and events which delight residents and encourage visitors to keep returning.
Our more diverse local economy enjoys greater protection from financial shocks and new investment and industries within our City are generating jobs and prosperity.
We have a range of accessible and active transport choices that make it easy for everyone to move around our City. Visiting lively shopping and dining destinations or accessing public transport is all possible within a 10 to 15-minute walk from our neighbourhoods.
Our health and wellbeing are enriched by having quality public spaces close to home. We can visit these spaces easily to enjoy quiet moments or more active pursuits with our friends and families.
The beauty and biodiversity of our coastal, bay, park, waterway and inland environments are protected and enhanced for future generations to enjoy. We have played our part in promoting and addressing environmental sustainability, from tackling climate change, emissions and sea level rise to minimising flooding risks.
We are proud that our participation in civic life means Port Phillip has retained its unique character and heritage while being admired as a creative hub that continues to evolve and innovate. We know our voice is heard and helps deliver meaningful outcomes.
We have a local Council that strives to deliver services in the most efficient, transparent and equitable way. Our Council provides strong financial stewardship, is responsible and works hard to balance meeting community expectations and diversifying revenue streams with minimising costs for our community.
This is the minimum we hope for our community in 10 years’ time – we hope to achieve much more.
This is our legacy for generations to come.
Our Strategic Directions
The Council Plan sets out five Strategic Directions. They guide our priorities and actions as we work towards achieving the Community Vision. These are the Directions:
Inclusive: A City that is a place for all members of our community, where people feel supported and comfortable being themselves and expressing their identities.
Liveable: A City that is a great place to live, where our community has access to high quality public spaces, development and growth are well-managed, and it is safer and easy to connect and travel within.
Sustainable: A City that has a sustainable future, where our environmentally aware and active community benefits from living in a bayside city that is greener, cooler, cleaner and climate resilient.
Vibrant: A City that has a flourishing economy, where our community and local businesses thrive, and we maintain and enhance our reputation as one of Melbourne’s cultural and creative hubs.
Well-Governed: A City that is a leading local government authority, where our community and our organisation are in a better place as a result of our collective efforts.
Addressing our challenges
The Council Plan 2021-31 responds to eight key long-term challenges. These must be addressed to achieve the vision our community has for Port Phillip over the coming years. The challenges are: