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 Cabonne 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.
- $750 / yearAbout 38% below the NSW council average of ~$1,203 — one of the lowest average residential rates in NSW (2023–24 was $719, vs NSW ~$1,140). A separate domestic waste charge (~$324 in 2024–25) applies. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating deficit — performance ratio −23.6%Below the >0% benchmark; a large deficit. Financial sustainability is a live theme for the council.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 4.88×, 5.8 months cash; debt service cover 14.96× (all pass)Liquidity, cash cover and debt service cover are all above benchmark.
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 52.6% (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 very large area.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 14.8% and asset maintenance 19.1% both miss; renewals 127.4% (passes)The infrastructure-backlog and asset-maintenance ratios are well outside benchmark; the renewals ratio passes.
- 7.2%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Cabonne | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| −23.6% | > 0% | No | |
| 52.6% | > 60% | No | |
| 4.88× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 14.96× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 7.2% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 5.8 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 14.8% | < 2% | No | |
| 19.1% | > 100% | No | |
| 127.4% | > 100% | Yes |
Cabonne'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. Cabonne met 5 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24. Two notable neutral facts: its average residential rate is one of the lowest in NSW (about 38% below the state average), and it recorded a large operating deficit (−23.6%) alongside a high infrastructure backlog (14.8%) and a very low asset-maintenance ratio (19.1%) — financial sustainability is a live theme. The OLG's 2024–25 time-series shows the infrastructure ratios moving further: backlog 22.1%, asset maintenance 151.8% (now above benchmark), renewals 88.6% (now below). 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.