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 Warren as a Rural council, so it is benchmarked at under 10% for rates outstanding; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.)
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
- $677 / yearAbout 44% below the NSW council average of ~$1,203 (2023-24 was $650, vs NSW ~$1,140). Rate levels reflect land values and a council's rating structure, not the level of service it provides. A separate domestic waste charge applies (~$334 in 2024-25 per OLG data; Council's adopted 2026/27 charge is $415, plus a new $150 recycling charge).
- Operating performance ratio 24.7%Above the >0% benchmark — an operating surplus for the year.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 5.87x; debt service cover 41.54x; 7.2 months cash (all pass)All three sit above their benchmarks of >1.5x, >2x and >3 months respectively.
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 39.7% (misses)Below the >60% benchmark, meaning most of the council's income in 2023-24 came from grants and contributions rather than rates, charges and fees. This is common for councils with a very small ratepayer base spread over a large area.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 2.7% misses (2023-24); asset maintenance 186.9% and renewals 447.3% both passThe backlog ratio is just above the under-2% benchmark; the OLG's 2024-25 time-series shows it falling to 1.6% (with asset maintenance at 155.8% and renewals at 332.4%).
- 8.4%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023-24) | Warren | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24.7% | > 0% | Yes | |
| 39.7% | > 60% | No | |
| 5.87× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 41.54× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 8.4% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 7.2 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 2.7% | < 2% | No | |
| 186.9% | > 100% | Yes | |
| 447.3% | > 100% | Yes |
Warren'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. Warren met 7 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023-24. The two misses are own-source revenue (39.7% against a >60% benchmark) and the infrastructure backlog (2.7% against <2%, which the 2024-25 file shows falling to 1.6%). Council's adopted 2026/2027 Operational Plan levies about $6.15 million in ordinary rates, notes no new loans are required for the year — while flagging that one may be proposed in 2027/2028 to fund increased bore water storage in Warren if grant funding does not come through — and says the capital improvement budget is reliant on grants. 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
- Your Council (NSW Government) — council data search · 2023-24
- Warren Shire Council — Operational Plan 2026/2027 and Estimates · Adopted 25 Jun 2026
- Warren Shire Council — Financial Reports · 2026
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.