NSW · Riverina · Local council, made simple
Wagga Wagga City Council
The largest inland city in NSW and the Riverina's major service centre — around 69,000 people on the Murrumbidgee River, from the city itself to villages like Lake Albert, Forest Hill, Uranquinty and Ladysmith, and home to RAAF Base Wagga and the Army's Kapooka training centre. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste, 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.
2025–26 rate peg: 3.8%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
Meets 6 of 9 OLG financial benchmarks
Open →Crime & safetyWagga Wagga's recorded crime rates, side by side with the NSW average.
All 12 major offences above the NSW rate
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Dallas Tout
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) 6926 9100
Open →City profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~68,900 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
3 updatesRecent items from Wagga Wagga City Council's public channels, in plain language.
- Election
Michael Henderson elected to council via countback
Michael Henderson was declared elected on 10 March 2026 through a countback of the September 2024 ballot, filling the casual vacancy left when Cr Tim Koschel resigned on 31 January 2026.
What this means for you: The council returns to its full nine councillors. Henderson was next in line on the 2024 countback (he stood on the same ticket as Koschel), so no by-election was needed.
- Policy
Council to investigate the need for a Special Rate Variation
At its 9 March 2026 Ordinary Meeting the council resolved for staff to investigate whether it needs to apply to IPART for a Special Rate Variation, having not had a rate variation for a number of years.
What this means for you: This is an investigation, not a rate rise. Any report on whether to apply would return to the council in late 2026 or early 2027, and a Special Rate Variation would require IPART approval and community consultation before it could take effect.
Source: Wagga Wagga City Council — Council to assess the need for a Special Rate Variation application
- Policy
Council adopts Wagga Wagga 2050 Community Strategic Plan
The council adopted the Wagga Wagga 2050 Community Strategic Plan in April 2025 after a 12-month engagement that drew over 2,500 submissions, and adopted the accompanying Delivery Program 2025–2029 and Operational Plan 2025/26 in June 2025.
What this means for you: These plans set the council's long-term goals and its four-year and annual commitments, including the capital works program and budget that shape local services and rates.
Source: Wagga Wagga City Council — Council adopts Wagga Wagga 2050 CSP
Get the important stuff, automatically
Follow Wagga Wagga City Counciland we'll email you when something that affects you comes up — no digging through the council website.
We only use your email to send the updates you ask for, each with a one-click unsubscribe. No spam, no sharing.