Budget & finances
Comparing raw dollar totals between councils isn't very useful — bigger councils naturally have bigger numbers. What does tell you about a council's financial health are normalised indicators: the standard ratios that every NSW council reports against the Office of Local Government's benchmarks, plus per-property figures you can compare to the NSW average. The ratios below are from the NSW Government's 'Your Council' / OLG time-series data for 2023–24. (The OLG classifies Bellingen as a Large Rural council, so it is benchmarked at under 10% for rates outstanding; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.)
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Operating performance ratio
- Whether everyday income covers everyday running costs.
- Own-source operating revenue ratio
- How much of the council's income it raises itself vs. grants from other governments.
- Unrestricted current ratio
- Whether the council has enough spare cash to pay its short-term bills.
- Debt service cover ratio
- How comfortably operating cash covers the council's loan repayments.
- Rates & annual charges outstanding ratio
- The share of rates bills that haven't been paid by year-end.
- Cash expense cover ratio
- How many months the council could keep paying bills if income stopped.
- Infrastructure backlog ratio
- The cost of fixing run-down assets, as a share of what those assets are worth.
- Asset maintenance ratio
- Whether the council actually spends what it should on maintaining its assets.
- Building & infrastructure renewals ratio
- Whether assets are being renewed as fast as they wear out.
- Operating result (surplus / deficit)
- Income minus expenses for the year's normal operations.
- OLG benchmark
- The healthy target set by the state for each financial ratio.
- Average residential rate
- The typical yearly general-rates bill for a home in the area.
- Office of Local Government (OLG)
- The NSW body overseeing councils; publishes the financial data.
- $1,592 / yearAbout 32% above the NSW council average of ~$1,203 (2023–24 was $1,459, vs NSW ~$1,140). A separate domestic waste charge (~$682 in 2024–25) applies. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio +5.6%Above the >0% benchmark — the council's operating revenue exceeded operating expenses that year.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 2.92×, 19.4 months cash; debt service cover 4.33× (all pass)Liquidity, cash cover and debt service cover are all above benchmark, with a notably large cash buffer.
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 56.1% (just below benchmark)Below the >60% benchmark — a larger share of income comes from grants, common for rural councils with a small ratepayer base over a large area.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 6.7% and asset maintenance 39.9% both miss; renewals 205.7% (passes)The infrastructure-backlog and asset-maintenance ratios are outside benchmark; the renewals ratio comfortably passes.
- 3.5%Well below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Bellingen | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6% | > 0% | Yes | |
| 56.1% | > 60% | No | |
| 2.92× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 4.33× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 3.5% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 19.4 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 6.7% | < 2% | No | |
| 39.9% | > 100% | No | |
| 205.7% | > 100% | Yes |
Bellingen's financial-health indicators, 2023–24, against the NSW Office of Local Government benchmarks. 'Meets?' simply states whether the figure is on the benchmark side of the line. Source: NSW Government 'Your Council' / OLG time-series data, 2023–24.
These ratios are the standard, size-independent way to read a council's finances, which is why we use them instead of raw dollar totals. Bellingen met 6 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24. Two notable neutral facts: its average residential rate is around a third above the NSW average, and its infrastructure-backlog and asset-maintenance ratios are outside benchmark even though its operating result, liquidity and cash position are comfortably within benchmark. The OLG's 2024–25 time-series shows the infrastructure ratios moving further: backlog 5.9%, asset maintenance 43.9%, renewals 354.6%. We present the numbers and their benchmarks; whether that's good value is for you to judge from the sources below.
Sources — check it yourself
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.