Melton (VIC) Council budget and finances

Budget & finances

Every Victorian council reports the same set of financial measures to the state each year, under the Local Government Performance Reporting Framework (LGPRF). The state doesn't set pass marks for these measures. So we show Melton's figure for 2024–25 next to the median of all Victorian councils. The median is the middle value: half of councils are above it and half below. The median is a point of reference, not a target.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English

Operating result (surplus / deficit): Income minus expenses for the year's normal operations.
Average residential rate: The typical yearly general-rates bill for a home in the area.

See the full explainer, with formulas →

The numbers

Average rate per property (2024–25): $1,779General rates plus the municipal charge, divided by all property assessments (homes and businesses). The Victorian median is $1,937.
Adjusted underlying result (2024–25): 21.5% surplusThe operating result without capital grants and contributions, as a share of that revenue. The Victorian median is 0.56%.
Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (2024–25): −3.42×Below zero because restricted cash is larger than total cash on this measure. The council's Annual Report 2024/25 says the prescribed method excludes term deposits with an original maturity of more than 90 days, which it classes as 'other financial assets'. The Victorian median is 0.26×.
2026–27 capital works: $258.7 millionOf this, $35.5m is carried forward from 2025–26. Funding: $178.6m from council operations, $37.5m from developer contributions and other reserves, $7.0m from grants and $0 from borrowings (adopted 2026–27 budget). The largest item is $106.4m for the new aquatic and leisure centre in Fraser Rise.

Measure (2024–25)	Melton	Victorian median
	21.5%	0.56%
Current assets ÷ current liabilities (short-term liquidity)	3.04×	2.17×
Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (free cash)	−3.42×	0.26×
Loans and borrowings ÷ rates	2.1%	13.2%
Loan repayments ÷ rates	1.4%	1.4%
Non-current liabilities ÷ own-source revenue	11.4%	16.7%
Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation	107.3%	94.9%
Rates ÷ adjusted underlying revenue (reliance on rates)	48.8%	57.8%
Rates ÷ property values	0.30%	0.28%
Expenses per property assessment	$3,314	$4,100
Average rate per property assessment	$1,779	$1,937

Melton City Council, LGPRF financial measures, 2024–25, next to the median of the 79 Victorian councils reporting each measure. Source: Local Government Victoria, LGPRF 2020–2025 Full Council Data Set (Nov 2025 release), CC BY 4.0. The median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation.

The LGPRF has no official benchmarks, and Local Government Victoria says its data shouldn't be used for simplistic league tables. So we don't mark any figure as a pass or a fail, and we don't rank councils. The Victorian median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation, taken across the Victorian councils that report each measure in the 2024–25 data set. A figure above or below the median isn't good or bad in itself. Councils differ in size, growth, assets and services, and the council's annual report explains its own results. LGPRF groups Melton with the 'Interface' councils on Melbourne's fringe. The 2025–26 figures are due in about November 2026.

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.