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 Kyogle as a Large Rural council in group 10, 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
- $1,264 / yearAbout 5% above the NSW council average of ~$1,203 (2023–24 was $1,207, vs NSW ~$1,140). A separate domestic waste charge applies (~$422 in 2024–25, down from ~$452 in 2023–24). (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio 15.0%Comfortably above the >0% benchmark — an operating surplus for the year.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 4.78×; debt service cover 8.25×; 19.3 months cashAll three clear their benchmarks (>1.5×, >2× and >3 months respectively).
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 30.6% (misses)The benchmark is above 60%. This ratio measures the share of income the council raises itself (rates, annual charges, user fees) rather than receiving as grants and contributions — Kyogle is a small rural council whose road and bridge programs in this period were largely grant-funded.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 4.9% misses; asset maintenance 104.7% and renewals 1002.4% both pass (2023–24)A renewals ratio of 1002.4% means the council spent roughly ten times the annual depreciation on renewing existing assets that year, which coincides with its bridge replacement program. The OLG's 2024–25 file shows backlog 5.4%, asset maintenance 129.6% and renewals 167.2%.
- 8.2%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
- 2026/27 budget
- $64.6 million, adopted 9 June 2026Includes almost $10 million for roads and bridges, $5 million over two years to fast-track watermains replacement, $7 million this year (and $17 million in forward estimates) for a new Kyogle sewerage treatment plant, $1.793 million for landfill improvements and quarry rehabilitation, and $614,285 for the library and mobile library.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Kyogle | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.0% | > 0% | Yes | |
| 30.6% | > 60% | No | |
| 4.78× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 8.25× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 8.2% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 19.3 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 4.9% | < 2% | No | |
| 104.7% | > 100% | Yes | |
| 1002.4% | > 100% | Yes |
Kyogle'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. Kyogle met 7 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24. Two things are worth reading together: own-source revenue (30.6%) is well below the >60% benchmark, meaning most income came from grants and contributions rather than rates and fees, while building and infrastructure renewals (1002.4%) is far above benchmark — both are consistent with a period in which the council was delivering a large, grant-funded bridge replacement program. The infrastructure backlog (4.9% in 2023–24, 5.4% in 2024–25) remains above the under-2% benchmark. 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
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2023–24 (all NSW councils, benchmark ratios) · 2023–24
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2024–25 (infrastructure ratios update) · 2024–25
- Kyogle Council — Delivery Program 2026/2030 and Operational Plan 2026/2027 · Adopted 9 Jun 2026
- Kyogle Council — media release: Budget delivers big investment in the future · 11 Jun 2026
- Kyogle Council — Annual Reports and audited financial statements · 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.