Our annual budget makes day-to-day life in Stonnington possible, funding services like roads, open space, waste and recycling, animal management, maternal and child health, aged services and early education.

Following three rounds of budget consultation Council adopted the 2023-24 Budget on 26 June 2023.

Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback either via our online budgeting tool, our survey, at one of our community information sessions or via the formal submission process.

Information about the budget is available on the Council website and in the document library in the right-hand column.

This budget has been designed to ensure long-term financial stability while preserving assets and services, accommodating growth, fulfilling our priorities and enabling a reset and recovery after the disruption of COVID-19.

A sound financial base is necessary to continue to deliver valued services to the community and achieving a surplus was a key objective. This year’s budget includes a surplus of $18.37 million while also delivering $64.11 million in new infrastructure projects.

During our previous rounds of consultation, we received significant feedback around parks and open space, roads and drainage, streetscapes and amenity, community services and facilities, active transport and waste services. In response to your comments, we have prioritised spending in these areas.

Highlights include:

• completion of sporting facilities at the Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park

• significant investment to improve our streetscapes including Toorak Village and further masterplan development for Chapel Street

• the completion of redeveloped facilities at Toorak Park and Princes Gardens

• progressing stage one of the investment into the renewal of the Prahran Market

• continued investment in core infrastructure such as roads, footpaths, bridges and drainage works

• a program of works to review and better activate our community facilities and spaces

• planning for the future of sustainable transport options in Stonnington

• a proposal to enter into new commercial leases to maintain the currency of the rental portfolio

• updates to the waste collection fees and charges policy that will ensure fair distribution of charges based on services received (see Waste Collection Fees and Charges policy)

• finalisation of the garbage and recycling bin lid changeover project and facilitation of improved waste education.

This budget delivers on our Council Plan 2021-2025 to ensure Stonnington is a thriving and unique place, an inclusive and healthy community, and a people-centred and future ready city.

We invite you to share any further feedback you would like to contribute as we prepare the draft budget. Please share your feedback below by Tuesday 30 May 2023.

Having reviewed the feedback we received during stage one of our budget consultation we would now like to hear if there is anything else you think we need to consider.

We invite you to share any further feedback you would like to contribute as we prepare the draft budget. Please share your feedback below by Sunday 26 March 2023.

The draft Budget will be released for public consultation during April and May so please take this opportunity to once again be part of the process.

During the first stage of our budget engagement you took hold of the purse strings and told us where you wanted us to prioritise our budget spending. What we heard is that your top priorities closely align to what we are focused on.

Things such as parks and open space, roads, drains and street maintenance, urban development, streetscapes and amenity - as well as community services, transport and traffic and waste services.

We have prepared a summary of the engagement feedback we received from both our online budgeting tool and our community information sessions. Read the summary here....

We’re using this feedback to develop our draft 2023-24 budget and would now like to hear if there is anything else you think we need to consider.

Visit the Stage Two - NOW OPEN! tab above to share any further feedback you would like to contribute as we prepare the new budget.

The draft budget will be released for public consultation during April and May so please take this opportunity to once again be part of the process.

Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback. We had a great response and this has really helped us to understand how you would like us to prioritise the community services and amenities that you trust us to deliver on your behalf.

During the first stage of consultation on our Budget 2023-24 we sent postcards to every resident in Stonnington inviting them to provide feedback via our new style of budget engagement (outlined below), as well as a survey to provide funding ideas.

This is a new style of budget engagement for the City of Stonnington was deigned to make it easier for you to understand Council services and projects, and let us know how we should prioritise our budgets in the future.

We also undertook seven pop up sessions across the municipality to promote the engagement activity and invite people to give there feedback on the spot. This engagement was held from 19 October - 5 December 2022.

Your privacy and personal information

The personal information requested on this project is being collected by Council for the purpose of facilitating the community engagement process for the Budget 2023-24.

To find out how your personal information will be used by Council please visit the privacy policy page.

For further information regarding the draft Budget or making a written submission please contact finance@stonnington.vic.gov.au or 8290 1333.