NSW · Central West · Local council, made simple
Orange City Council
A Central West regional city at the foot of Mount Canobolas — around 44,600 people, and a sub-regional hub for health, education, retail and the food & wine scene. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste (including a weekly FOGO green bin), roads, water, libraries, parks, development — and sets your rates. Here's the snapshot, then the stuff that affects your week.
Everyday essentials
The things people actually need from the council — fast.
Get to know your council
The basics, in one tap — open any card for key facts and a link to the official source.
This year's rate rise, how it compares across NSW, and why bills differ.
2026–27 rate peg: 3.0%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
Meets 5 of 9 OLG financial benchmarks
Open →Crime & safetyOrange's recorded crime rates, side by side with the NSW average.
Higher than NSW across the board — read the context
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Tony Mileto (Independent)
Open →Elections & votingWhen the next council election is, and how voting works.
Next election: Sat 9 Sep 2028
Open →Contact & servicesHow to reach the council and report a problem.
Customer service: (02) 6393 8000
Open →City profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~44,600 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
3 updatesRecent items from Orange City Council's public channels, in plain language.
- Policy
2026/27 budget: 3% rate peg and 'generational' projects
The council's 2026/27 draft budget applied IPART's 3% rate peg and set out roughly $78.5 million of capital works, funding major community projects (a regional conservatorium and a sporting precinct) alongside roads, stormwater harvesting and water/sewer infrastructure.
What this means for you: Rates rise under the 3% IPART peg — the council estimates about $1.89 per week (~$98 per year) for a typical residential assessment — while the budget funds ongoing core services and major capital projects.
Source: Orange City Council — Responsible budget with focus on generational projects
- Waste
2026 bulky waste kerbside collection for residents
Orange City Council ran its annual bulky-waste kerbside collection for residents to dispose of large unwanted household items, scheduled across the city from 27 January to 20 February 2026.
What this means for you: Residents can put out eligible bulky household items for a free annual kerbside collection (each residence also gets one free tip voucher per year); check the council page for dates and what is accepted.
- Waste
Biofilters installed at Euchareena Road landfill to cut methane
The council installed four biofilters (a roughly $153,000 investment) at its Euchareena Road Resource Recovery Centre to reduce and measure methane emissions from the landfill, and urged residents to use the FOGO green bin to keep organic waste out of landfill.
What this means for you: Putting food scraps and garden clippings in the green FOGO bin — rather than the red general-waste bin — reduces methane from landfill; the biofilters treat emissions from waste already buried.
Source: Mirage News — Orange City Council landfill biofilters (council media release)
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