Mayor & councillors
Melton has 10 councillors, one for each ward: Bullum Bullum, Cambrian, Coolibah, Hilltop, Jackwood, Lake Caroline, Mount Atkinson, Stringybark, Sugar Gum and Watts. They were elected in October 2024 for the 2024–2028 term. This single-councillor ward structure replaced three multi-member wards (9 councillors) at the 2024 election. Voters don't elect the Mayor directly. The councillors choose one of themselves each year; the next vote is at the council meeting on Thursday 5 November 2026.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- How the mayor is chosen
- Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
- Ward
- A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
- Local Government Area (LGA)
- The official area a council governs.
Who represents you
- Mayor
- Cr Lara Carli (Sugar Gum Ward)Elected Mayor for 2025–26 by the councillors on Thursday 6 November 2025. The council says it is her fourth term on the council and that she was previously Mayor in 2022–23 and 2019–20.
- Deputy Mayor
- Cr Dr Phillip Zada (Mount Atkinson Ward)Elected Deputy Mayor at the same meeting, 6 November 2025.
- Councillors
- 10 — one per wardMatches the Victorian Electoral Commission's list of current councillors (checked Sep 2026).
- Next mayoral election
- Council meeting, Thursday 5 November 2026From the council's published 2026 meeting schedule. This page will be updated after that meeting.
- Changes since the 2024 election
- NoneThe VEC lists no Melton by-election or countback since October 2024. Its most recent Melton entry is a January 2023 countback in the former Watts Ward.
Your representatives
Lara Carli
Mayor / Councillor · Sugar Gum Ward
Phillip Zada
Deputy Mayor / Councillor · Mount Atkinson Ward
Steve Abboushi
Councillor · Bullum Bullum Ward
Bob Turner
Councillor · Cambrian Ward
Brandi Morris
Councillor · Coolibah Ward
John Verdon
Councillor · Hilltop Ward
Ashleigh Vandenberg
Councillor · Jackwood Ward
Kathy Majdlik
Councillor · Lake Caroline Ward
Julie Shannon
Councillor · Stringybark Ward
Sophie Ramsey
Councillor · Watts Ward
Want to raise something? Contacting your ward councillor or the mayor is one of the most direct ways to be heard between elections.
Victorian council ballot papers and results don't show party affiliation, so we don't label councillors. We list who holds office, with their council email addresses and official profiles, and link to the election results. If a councillor's seat falls vacant, Melton's single-councillor wards fill it by a by-election, not a countback, as long as more than 6 months of the term remain. For the latest list, see the council's page or the VEC.
Sources — check it yourself
- Melton City Council — Councillors · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Melton City Council (current councillors) · Sep 2026
- Melton City Council — Cr Lara Carli elected Mayor of City of Melton (6 Nov 2025) · Nov 2025
- Melton City Council — Council meetings (2026 schedule) · Sep 2026
- Melton City Council — Ward map and boundaries · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — By-elections and countbacks timeline · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Melton City Council election results · Nov 2024
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.