Hepburn Shire Council has formally adopted its key strategic planning documents for the next four years, including the Council Plan 2025–2029 (incorporating the Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan), the 2025/26 Budget, and a suite of financial and asset planning documents. The plans, endorsed at the Council meeting on 24 June, will shape Council’s priorities across community wellbeing, infrastructure, sustainability and service delivery.
Mayor Cr Don Henderson said the plans reflect Council’s renewed commitment to being responsive to community needs while managing financial sustainability.
“We are entering an important new chapter,” said Cr Henderson. “Through extensive community consultation, including surveys, a Deliberative Engagement Panel, and the Participate Hepburn online platform, we’ve heard a broad range of views. Our Councillor group and staff have worked hard to ensure these documents reflect community priorities.”
Council received nearly 200 submissions during the consultation phase, and the Participate Hepburn website logged over 9,000 views since the planning process began under the Hepburn Together initiative.
The Council Plan is structured around three key domains—Hepburn Life, Future Hepburn, and Hepburn Working Together—each aiming to guide Council’s work in wellbeing, sustainability, and civic collaboration. The Mayor said Council will report regularly on progress against the Plan’s actions.
The budget includes permanent reductions totalling $2.64 million across a number of areas. In its submission to the Essential Services Commission (ESC), Council acknowledged the risk of insolvency, noting that even in the most favourable scenario, the budget forecasts only a break-even cash result. This leaves little scope for emergency response, asset renewal, or co-contributions to grant-funded projects.
The budget cuts $505,000 from Councillors, Executive and Leadership because of a reduction in the number of roles within the Executive and Leadership structure. $258,000 has been cut from the ICT budget because Council has been able to ensure operational efficiencies and reduce ICT investment.
Ten percent ($152,000) has been cut from Customers, Libraries and Communications. The launch of Open Libraries and the closure of the Duke Street Customer Service Office will account for most of the savings.
The presentation of the Budget adopted alongside the Council Plan paints a constrained picture of Council’s capacity to deliver on its aspirations in the Plan.
Although the Council Plan affirms Council’s commitment to provide services and programs that serve everyone in our community, with a particular focus on those who are most vulnerable,” the budget includes cuts of 36% to the Inclusive Communities budget and 23% from Early and Middle and Youth Years programs.
Although the Plan promises to “to increase participation and promote wellbeing and connectedness” through sport and recreation, the budget cuts $300,000 (26%) from the Recreation and Sport budget allocation with further reductions to pool opening hours anticipated.
The plan promises to “enhance community preparedness and resilience for changing conditions” and emergencies but the budget cuts $50,000 (4%) from the Emergency Management and Community Safety budget.
These reductions raise significant concerns about Council’s ability to meet the goals it has set for itself—particularly around supporting vulnerable groups, preparing for emergencies, and fostering community wellbeing.
The adopted documents are available on Council’s website at https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/hepburn-together-2025-2029
The Financial Plan 2025–2035 and Revenue and Rating Plan 2025–2029 will be uploaded once finalised.
