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 Forbes 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.
The numbers
- $957 / yearAbout 20% below the NSW council average of ~$1,203 (2023–24 was $922, vs NSW ~$1,140). A separate domestic waste charge (~$451 in 2024–25) applies. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio −1.9%Below the >0% benchmark — an operating deficit for the year.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 1.67× and debt service cover 2.75× both pass; cash expense cover 2.9 months missesCash cover sits just under the three-month benchmark; the liquidity and debt-service ratios are above their benchmark lines.
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 56.8% (misses)Below the >60% benchmark, meaning grants and contributions supplied a larger share of income than the benchmark contemplates — a common pattern for large rural councils with a small rate base spread over a wide area.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 1.3% passes; asset maintenance 88.9% and renewals 69.9% both miss (2023–24)The OLG's 2024–25 time-series shows backlog 1.4%, asset maintenance 91.9% and building & infrastructure renewals 42.9%.
- 5.5%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Forbes | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| −1.9% | > 0% | No | |
| 56.8% | > 60% | No | |
| 1.67× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 2.75× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 5.5% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 2.9 months | > 3 months | No | |
| 1.3% | < 2% | Yes | |
| 88.9% | > 100% | No | |
| 69.9% | > 100% | No |
Forbes'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. Forbes met 4 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24: the three that missed on the income side were the operating result (−1.9%), own-source revenue (56.8%) and the cash buffer (2.9 months against a three-month benchmark); on the asset side the infrastructure backlog is inside its benchmark while asset maintenance and renewals sit below theirs. The OLG's 2024–25 file shows renewals falling further to 42.9% and asset maintenance rising to 91.9%. Forbes's average residential rate is about 20% below the NSW average. We present the numbers and their benchmarks; whether that's good value is for you to judge from the sources below, including the council's own Long Term Financial Plan and adopted Delivery Program and Operational Plan.
Sources — check it yourself
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2023–24 (all NSW councils, benchmark ratios) · 2023–24
- Your Council (NSW Government) — Forbes · 2023–24
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2024–25 (infrastructure ratios update) · 2024–25
- Forbes Shire Council — Plans (Long Term Financial Plan, Delivery Program & Operational Plan 2026/27) · 2026
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.