Every year, ratepayers help fund vital services, facilities, assets, and infrastructure that support our community to thrive today and well into the future.
We are responsible for delivering a wide range of high-quality services and manage more than $3.6 billion of community assets. Your rates help to maintain 236 buildings, 566km of local roads, 57km of on-road cycling paths, 35km of shared paths on trails, 116 playgrounds, 1,265km of footpaths, 749km of stormwater pipes and 594 hectares of open space.
We allocate money from your rates to various projects and initiatives captured in our budget, which is underpinned by the Boroondara Community Plan 2021-31. In 2022-23, we will continue to invest in transformation projects that will enhance the way we provide services to our community and place the customer at the centre of everything we do. These projects will provide greater choice and convenience of services for customers.
For every $100 of expenditure, we deliver the following services:
| Services | Amount in every $100 of expenditure |
|---|---|
| Capital works and priority projects | $35.34 |
| Environment and waste management | $13.26 |
| Health, aged community and family services | $10.17 |
| Parks, gardens and sports grounds | $9.60 |
| Library, arts and cultural services | $6.22 |
| Planning and building | $5.28 |
| Communications and customer service | $5.28 |
| Local laws enforcement | $4.89 |
| Roads, footpaths, safety and drainage | $4.19 |
| Engineering and traffic management | $2.08 |
| Rates and property services | $1.58 |
| Leisure, recreation and civic centres* | $1.29 |
| Economic development | $0.82 |
* Excludes operating expenditure for 5 externally managed recreation centres.
The figures in the table include an allocation of corporate services, governance, risk management, building maintenance and public lighting across these service areas.
The chart below shows proportionally how much we deliver for each of our assets and services, from every $100 of rates we receive. This chart uses the same amounts for each category as the table on this page.
Payment methods
Ratepayers can expect to receive their rates notices from late-July to early-August. We offer 2% discount on your current rates and charges if you pay in full by 31 August 2022.
Alternatively, you can choose to pay in quarterly instalments or 10 monthly instalments, which can be processed by direct debit. Direct debit can be an easy and more manageable payment method for many. If you paid by direct debit in 2021-22, it will be automatically applied this year. If you wish to register for direct debit for the first time, simply complete our online Direct debit request – Rates and charges form-external site.
For more information on your rates, including how to pay them and what they help to pay for, read through your rates notice or visit our Rates page.
Ratepayers experiencing financial difficulties should contact us immediately to access support through our Rates and Charges Deferment and Financial Hardship Policy.