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 Walcha as a Rural council, so it is benchmarked at under 10% for rates outstanding; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.) 2023–24 was also the first year of a special rate variation approved by IPART in June 2023, which is part of the context for these figures.
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
- $772 / yearAbout 36% below the NSW council average of ~$1,203 (2023–24 was $729, vs NSW ~$1,140). A low average residential rate reflects local land values and the council's rating structure, not service levels. A separate domestic waste charge (~$684 in 2024–25, up from ~$659) applies. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio 17.6%Above the >0% benchmark — a surplus on the OLG's measure, in the first year of the approved special rate variation.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 3.25×, debt service cover 21.48×, 16.5 months cash — all passAll three comfortably clear their benchmarks (>1.5×, >2× and >3 months).
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 36.4% (misses)Below the >60% benchmark — a larger share of income comes from grants and contributions than the benchmark contemplates, which is common for very small rural councils with a small rate base.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 12.8% and asset maintenance 71.1% both miss (2023–24); renewals 237.6% passesThe OLG's 2024–25 time-series shows the backlog at 0.2%, asset maintenance at 92.0% and renewals at 214.6% — definitions and measurement can shift year to year, so we show both.
- 6.4%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Walcha | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17.6% | > 0% | Yes | |
| 36.4% | > 60% | No | |
| 3.25× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 21.48× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 6.4% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 16.5 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 12.8% | < 2% | No | |
| 71.1% | > 100% | No | |
| 237.6% | > 100% | Yes |
Walcha'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. Walcha met 6 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24: the three misses are own-source revenue, the infrastructure backlog and asset maintenance. The council publishes its own account of the background on a Financial Sustainability Review page: it states that it had adopted budget deficits over two financial years, engaged the University of Technology Sydney to review its finances, and that the independent UTS team concluded the council was not financially sustainable — which led to the special rate variation IPART approved in June 2023 (see Rates & fees). In the 2025 Community Strategic Plan the Mayor writes that the council has met the commitments made alongside that variation. We present the numbers, the benchmarks and the council's own documents; 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
- Walcha Council — Financial Sustainability Review (UTS reports) · 2026
- Walcha Council — Financial Statements · 2026
- IPART — Walcha Council special variation application 2023-24, final report · Jun 2023
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.