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 Narrandera as a Large Rural council, so it is benchmarked at under 10% for rates outstanding; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.) One thing to read alongside them: a permanent special rate variation approved by IPART in May 2024 lifted the council's general income across 2024–25 and 2025–26, which is why the average residential rate below jumps between those two years.
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
- $932 / yearAbout 23% below the NSW council average of ~$1,203. In 2023–24 it was $741 against a NSW average of ~$1,140; the increase reflects the first year of the IPART-approved special variation. A separate domestic waste charge (~$361 in 2024–25, up from $345) applies. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio 16.1%Above the >0% benchmark — the council's continuing operating revenue exceeded its operating expenses that year.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 4.46×, debt service cover 52.82×, 22.7 months cash (all pass)All three are well above their benchmarks (>1.5×, >2× and >3 months respectively).
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 43.4% (misses)Below the >60% benchmark: less than half of the council's operating revenue came from rates, charges and other own sources, with the balance from grants and contributions.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 6.7% misses (2023–24); asset maintenance 134.0% and renewals 161.4% both passThe infrastructure backlog ratio is above the under-2% benchmark. The OLG's 2024–25 time-series shows backlog 6.3%, asset maintenance 125.4% and renewals 231.8%.
- 8.3%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Narrandera | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.1% | > 0% | Yes | |
| 43.4% | > 60% | No | |
| 4.46× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 52.82× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 8.3% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 22.7 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 6.7% | < 2% | No | |
| 134.0% | > 100% | Yes | |
| 161.4% | > 100% | Yes |
Narrandera'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. Narrandera met 7 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24. The two it did not meet were own-source revenue (43.4% against a >60% benchmark) and the infrastructure backlog ratio (6.7% against <2%). The council's own published rationale for its 2024–25 special variation — that costs were outpacing revenue growth and that it wanted to fund the Narrandera CBD stormwater duplication project — is in the IPART final report linked below, alongside the council's Long Term Financial Plan. A low average residential rate reflects land values and the council's rating structure; it is not by itself a measure of service levels. 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
- IPART — Narrandera Shire Council Special Variation and Minimum Rate Application 2024-25, Final Report · May 2024
- Narrandera Shire Council — Operational Plan and Budget 2026-27 · 2026–27
- Narrandera Shire Council — Annual Report 2024-25 · 2024–25
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.