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Rates & fees

Rates & fees

Rates pay for most council services. In Victoria, the state sets a yearly cap on how much a council can raise its average rates. For 2026–27 the cap is 2.75%, and Mitchell's adopted budget raises the average general rate and the municipal charge by that much. The cap applies to the average across all properties, so your own bill can rise or fall by more, depending on how your property's value changed compared with others. Mitchell rates on Capital Improved Value (CIV). Waste charges aren't covered by the cap: the budget raises total waste income by 11.0%, and from 1 July 2026 splits it into a kerbside service charge and a new Public Waste Charge.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English
Pensioner rebate
A discount on rates for eligible pensioners.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Rates at a glance

2026–27 rate rise
Average general rate and municipal charge: +2.75% (the state cap)Budgeted general rates are $53.28 million and the municipal charge raises $5.92 million. The budget says the council was compliant with the rate cap in 2025–26.
How your general rates are calculated
CIV × the rate for your land type2026–27 rates in the dollar: General Land 0.00245034; Vacant Land 0.00490068; Vacant Commercial or Industrial Land and Subdivisional Land 0.00612585; Agricultural Land 40–100 ha 0.00220531; Agricultural Land over 100 ha 0.00196027. For a home with a CIV of $600,000, general rates would be $1,470.20 (our arithmetic with the adopted rate).Rates FAQs →
Municipal charge
$208.80 per rateable propertyUp from $202.75 in 2025–26. The council sets it at 10% of what general rates and the municipal charge raise together.
Waste charges (2026–27)
Standard 4-bin service $478 + Public Waste Charge $132The Public Waste Charge applies to all rateable properties and pays for waste services that benefit everyone, such as the resource recovery centres, public bins and illegally dumped rubbish. The standard kerbside charge (FOGO weekly, rubbish and recycling fortnightly, glass monthly) falls from $580 to $478; together the two come to $610, 5.2% more than the 2025–26 standard charge (our arithmetic). The opt-in basic service (rubbish and recycling only) is $303. Extra or larger bins are charged separately.
When it's due
4 instalments: 30 Sep, 30 Nov, 28 Feb, 31 MayOr pay in full by 30 September. Direct debit can be quarterly or 11 monthly payments on the 1st of each month from August to June. Pay by BPay, BPoint, Australia Post BillPay, or in person at a customer service centre.Pay your rates →
Interest on overdue rates
Penalty interest rate — currently 10% a year (Penalty Interest Rates Act 1983); check your noticeThe council asks anyone finding it hard to pay to contact it early; it has a financial hardship page.Help with your rates →
Also on your notice: ESVF
Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund — a state levyThe council collects it for the Victorian Government and passes it on. It replaced the Fire Services Property Levy on 1 July 2025. It isn't council revenue and isn't covered by the rate cap.About the ESVF →

The adopted budget puts total rates and charges at $77.9 million in 2026–27, up 8.2% on the 2025–26 budget; this includes waste charges, supplementary rates from new properties and interest. Rates in the dollar, charges and totals are from the Budget 2026-2027 (section 4.1.1), adopted by the council on 18 May 2026. Instalment dates are from the council's pay-your-rates page, last updated 17 August 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.