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 Whitehorse'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.
The numbers
- Average rate per property (2024–25)
- $1,516General rates plus any municipal charge, divided by all property assessments (homes and businesses). Whitehorse has no municipal charge. The Victorian median is $1,937.
- Borrowings
- None at 30 June 2025 (0% of rates in 2024–25)The 2026–27 budget says the council holds no borrowings and plans no new borrowings in 2026–27.
- Adjusted underlying result (2024–25)
- 4.4% surplusThe operating result without capital grants and contributions, as a share of that revenue. The Victorian median is 0.56%. The 2026–27 budget projects an adjusted underlying surplus of $1.56 million.
- 2026–27 capital works
- $89.3 millionIncludes $46.2m for land, buildings and building improvements, $11.8m for recreational, leisure and community facilities, $9.8m for roads and car parks, $5.5m for footpaths and cycleways and $3.5m for drainage. The largest items are $14.2m to continue the Box Hill City Oval redevelopment, $13.7m in pavilion upgrades and $12.0m for land acquisitions (adopted budget, 22 June 2026).
| Measure (2024–25) | Whitehorse | Victorian median |
|---|---|---|
| 4.4% | 0.56% | |
| Current assets ÷ current liabilities (short-term liquidity) | 4.59× | 2.17× |
| Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (free cash) | −1.88× | 0.26× |
| Loans and borrowings ÷ rates | 0.0% | 13.2% |
| Loan repayments ÷ rates | 0.0% | 1.4% |
| Non-current liabilities ÷ own-source revenue | 4.3% | 16.7% |
| Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation | 94.1% | 94.9% |
| Rates ÷ adjusted underlying revenue (reliance on rates) | 62.6% | 57.8% |
| Rates ÷ property values | 0.17% | 0.28% |
| Expenses per property assessment | $2,820 | $4,100 |
| Average rate per property assessment | $1,516 | $1,937 |
Whitehorse 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, and the council's annual report explains its own results. The unrestricted cash figure below zero is the value in the state's data set. For context, the council's audited 2024–25 statements show $21.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and a further $197.7 million in term deposits, which are reported separately as other financial assets, with $89.2 million of the combined total externally restricted. The 2025–26 figures are due in about November 2026.
Sources — check it yourself
- Local Government Victoria — LGPRF 2020–2025 Full Council Data Set (XLSX, Nov 2025 release, CC BY 4.0) · 2024–25
- DataVic — Local Government Performance Reporting (dataset and licence) · 2024–25
- Victorian Government — Know Your Council comparison dashboard · Sep 2026
- Whitehorse City Council — 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF; note 5.1 Financial assets) · 2024–25
- Whitehorse City Council — Budget 2026/27 (PDF; executive summary, s. 6.1, s. 7.4 Borrowings) · 2026–27
- Whitehorse City Council — Council Budget · Sep 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.