Warrnambool (VIC) Council budget and finances

Budget & finances

Every Victorian council reports the same set of financial measures to the state each year, under the Local Government Performance Reporting Framework (LGPRF). The state doesn't set pass marks for these measures. So we show Warrnambool's figure for 2024–25 next to the median of all Victorian councils. The median is the middle value: half of councils are above it and half below. The median is a point of reference, not a target.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English

Operating result (surplus / deficit): Income minus expenses for the year's normal operations.
Average residential rate: The typical yearly general-rates bill for a home in the area.

See the full explainer, with formulas →

The numbers

Average rate per property (2024–25): $2,162General rates plus the municipal charge, divided by all property assessments (homes and businesses). The Victorian median is $1,937.
Adjusted underlying result (2024–25): −4.1% (a deficit)The operating result without capital grants and contributions, as a share of that revenue. The Victorian median is 0.56%. The council's Draft Budget 2026–27 forecasts −15.86% for 2025–26 and −4.17% for 2026–27.
Borrowings (2024–25): 14.0% of ratesLoans and borrowings compared with rates. The Victorian median is 13.2%. Loan repayments were 3.4% of rates (median 1.4%). The 2026–27 budget plans $6.275 million of new borrowing for road projects that open up growth areas (Wollaston Road, Shannon Road and Station Street).
2026–27 budget: $53.2 million from rates and charges; a $36.9 million capital works programCapital works include $15.9 million on roads. The Draft Budget shows a $12.6 million operating surplus, which counts capital grants; the adjusted underlying result, without them, is the −4.17% above.

Measure (2024–25)	Warrnambool	Victorian median
	−4.1%	0.56%
Current assets ÷ current liabilities (short-term liquidity)	2.74×	2.17×
Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (free cash)	−0.13×	0.26×
Loans and borrowings ÷ rates	14.0%	13.2%
Loan repayments ÷ rates	3.4%	1.4%
Non-current liabilities ÷ own-source revenue	9.7%	16.7%
Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation	73.9%	94.9%
Rates ÷ adjusted underlying revenue (reliance on rates)	48.4%	57.8%
Rates ÷ property values	0.42%	0.28%
Expenses per property assessment	$5,521	$4,100
Average rate per property assessment	$2,162	$1,937

Warrnambool City Council, LGPRF financial measures, 2024–25, next to the median of the 79 Victorian councils reporting each measure. Source: Local Government Victoria, LGPRF 2020–2025 Full Council Data Set (Nov 2025 release), CC BY 4.0. The median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation.

The LGPRF has no official benchmarks, and Local Government Victoria says its data shouldn't be used for simplistic league tables. So we don't mark any figure as a pass or a fail, and we don't rank councils. The Victorian median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation, taken across the Victorian councils that report each measure in the 2024–25 data set. A figure above or below the median isn't good or bad in itself. Councils differ in size, assets and services — Warrnambool runs services such as holiday parks, a performing arts centre, Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and saleyards — and it is in the LGPRF's 'Regional City' group; the council's annual report explains its own results. Budget figures are from the Draft Budget 2026–27 (May 2026); the council adopted its budget on 1 June 2026, and the adopted document is on the council's website, which refused our requests. The 2025–26 LGPRF figures are due in about November 2026.

Sources — check it yourself

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.