NSW · Central West · Local council, made simple
Cowra Shire Council
A Central West council on the Lachlan River — around 12,680 people across the township of Cowra and villages like Billimari, Darbys Falls, Gooloogong, Woodstock and Wyangala, on an agricultural economy of sheep, grain and vineyards, and known internationally for the 1944 Cowra breakout and the Japanese Garden that now commemorates it. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste, water, roads, parks, development — and sets your rates. Here's the snapshot, then the stuff that affects your week.
Everyday essentials
The things people actually need from the council — fast.
Get to know your council
The basics, in one tap — open any card for key facts and a link to the official source.
This year's rate rise, how it compares across NSW, and why bills differ.
2025–26 rate peg: 4.2%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
Among the lowest average residential rates in NSW
Open →Crime & safetyCowra's recorded crime rates, side by side with the NSW average.
10 of 12 major offences above the NSW rate
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Paul Smith (Independent)
Open →Elections & votingWhen the next council election is, and how voting works.
Next election: Sat 9 Sep 2028
Open →Contact & servicesHow to reach the council and report a problem.
Customer service: (02) 6340 2000
Open →Area profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~12,680 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
3 updatesRecent items from Cowra Shire Council's public channels, in plain language.
- Policy
Council adopts 2026–27 Operational Plan, Delivery Program & Long-Term Financial Plan
Cowra Shire Council adopted its Operational Plan, Delivery Program and Long-Term Financial Plan for 2026–27 on 22 June 2026, setting the year's budget, works program and rates.
What this means for you: This document sets what the council plans to spend on and deliver over the coming year, and underpins the rates set out on the Rates & fees page. The full plan is published on the council's website.
Source: Cowra Council — Operational Plan, Delivery Program & Long-Term Financial Plan
- Waste
Kerbside waste audit finds recycling contamination, sets out a path to FOGO
A 2026 kerbside audit of 160 households (NSW EPA-funded, run jointly with Weddin and Hilltops councils) found Cowra's current recycling diversion rate at 15.9%, with around one in five items in recycling bins being contaminated. It modelled that a future FOGO service could lift diversion to as much as 59.3%.
What this means for you: If you live in Cowra, sorting your recycling correctly matters now — contamination is reducing how much is actually recycled. The audit is a step toward the FOGO (food & garden organics) service NSW requires all councils to offer by 2030, though Cowra has not yet set a rollout date.
- Election
By-election fills Cowra Shire Council's ninth seat
Following an uncontested September 2024 general election (8 nominations for 9 seats), a by-election was held on 23 November 2024 for the ninth seat. The result was declared 10 December 2024: Karren Cave (Independent) elected with 53.31% of the formal vote.
What this means for you: Cowra's nine-member council was not complete until mid-December 2024. The council's current makeup — nine councillors, all elected as independents or independent-aligned candidates — dates from that by-election.
Source: NSW Electoral Commission — 2024 Cowra Shire Council by-election
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