Integrated Planning and Reporting Documents (IP&R) 2026/27

Help shape the future of Yass Valley

Have a say on Council’s draft Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) suite of documents.

Background

At the Extraordinary Council Meeting held on Monday 11 May 2026, Council resolved to endorse the 2026/27 Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) documents for public exhibition.

These documents outline Council’s activities, projects, and initiatives in the short and long term. They include details about budgeting, asset and workforce management, finance, and service delivery.

The IP&R documents cover the services that matter to you - like roads, water, waste, parks and recreation, community services, sporting facilities, planning and development.

The IP&R documents include the:

• Draft 2026/27 Operational Plan
• Draft 2026/27 Budget
• Draft 2026-2036 Long Term Financial Plan including Scenario 6.1 – Base Case + Property Strategy
• Draft 2026/27 Revenue Statement, including proposed fees and charges.

Council will continue to implement previously adopted IP&R documents where there have been no changes, such as the 2025-29 Delivery Program, 2025-29 Workforce Management Strategy and Asset Management Strategy. There is no requirement for us to re-exhibit these documents and they can be found on our website.

Council is working towards becoming a more financially sustainable Council, and that means that they are making some key decisions about how they allocate our funds in the future. Throughout 2025 Council has achieved significant milestones towards addressing its financial challenges including:

• Crago Mill Stage 2 ceased
• In house CFO and Finance Team fully resourced
• Improved financial management reporting
• Improved Integrated Planning and Reporting Document Suite
• Continuation of the identification of business improvement and service review opportunities focusing on efficiency, cost reduction, productivity, revenue, and service delivery
• Implementation of the overhead attribution methodology to the externally restricted funds, involving accurately assigning Council overhead costs to the correct external services (waste, water and sewer), to ensure an accurate and fair division of expenses
• Improve systems, processes, capacity, and governance around financial management
• Improved engagement with Audit Risk Improvement Committee

The Long-Term Financial Plan (LTFP) is used to inform decision-making during the preparation and finalisation of the Community Strategic Plan and the development of the Delivery Program. The LTFP is reviewed annually and assumptions previously applied are refined and re-evaluated.

The draft Long Term Financial Plan 2026-36 includes a number of financial scenarios for consideration to address Council's long term financial sustainability, including high-level financial modelling of a potential future Special Rate Variation (SRV) of 35% or 50%.

Council would like to reiterate that this modelling does not constitute endorsement or approval to progress with an SRV at this time.

The scenarios show the impact of implementing strategies and initiatives on top of the base case as follows:

• Base case + 1 year of interest only extension on Crago Mill loan.
• Base case + pricing methodology to ensure External Restricted funds are cost recovery.
• Base case + Special Rate Variation (SRV) of 35%.
• Base case + SRV of 50%.
• Base Case + Property Strategy

This high-level modelling helped shape Council's decision about whether to commit resources to undertake further detailed SRV financial modelling with a report due back to Council at the July 2026 meeting. Any decision to consider a future SRV would be subject to a period of community consultation and Council endorsement.

Proposed Changes to Water Fees & Charges

Council has identified that the General Fund has been subsidising the externally restricted funds, namely water, sewer and waste. The impact of this is that the true cost of providing these services has been absorbed by the broad rate base rather than directly passed on to consumers of these services.

To achieve a balanced Water Fund, Council has applied increase by 30% to Water Fees and Charges in addition to CPI (total 34.2%) in year 2026/27.

The factors affecting the increase are the review of costs, including the attribution of whole of YVC costs including administrative and corporate costs to the Water Fund (previously met by the General Fund). This totalled $883,257 for 2026-27 that needed to be covered off through the pricing of Water supply and services. Note, not withstanding comparisons, the Water Funds needs to operate on a cost recovery basis and Council circumstances may differ.

The IP&R documents are now on public exhibition to enable residents to provide feedback via submission to Council no later than 4.00pm on Friday 12 June 2026.

An overview of these documents is outlined in Item 4.2 (page 11) of the Agenda for the EGM 11 May 2026. Readers are encouraged to review this summary to support your understanding of these documents.

Community Consultation Evenings

We are encouraging all community members to provide feedback and suggestions, both positive and critical, to ensure the plans reflect the needs and expectations of our residents over the next year. There's a lot to digest. Council will be hosting many opportunities for engagement, including five roadshows across the Yass Valley next month, to explain what these documents mean and how they impact local communities.

We’d love for you to come along to a session near you, have your say, and be part of shaping Yass Valley’s future.

• Binalong at the Binalong Mechanics Hall from 6.30pm – 8.00pm, Monday 1 June 2026
• Murrumbateman at the Murrumbateman Recreation Ground Hall from 6.00pm – 7.30pm, Tuesday 2 June 2026
• Yass at the Council Chambers, Crago Mill, from 5.30pm – 7.00pm, Wednesday 3 June 2026
• Sutton at the Sutton Hall from 6pm – 7.30pm, Tuesday 9 June 2026
  
• Wee Jasper at the Wee Jasper Memorial Hall from 6.00pm – 7.30pm, Wednesday 10 June 2026

What's Next?

These draft documents were endorsed at the 11 May 2026 Council Meeting to be placed on Public Consultation for a period of no less than 28 days. There is now an opportunity for members of the community to provide their feedback.

1. Have a read - Please have a read of the above documents. Please take the time to understand what it is in each document and what it means for you and the local community.
2. Complete the below feedback form - if you have any comments, please leave your feedback in the attached form or upload your submission. Your feedback is important as it will inform Council's final decision on this strategy.
3. Other ways to provide feedback: You can also make a confidential submission by email to Council@yass.nsw.gov.au or by writing to Public Consultations, Yass Valley Council, 209 Comur Street, Yass, NSW, 2582.
4. Engage with your Community or Progress Association
5. Come along to the June Mornings with the Mayor session.

Any person may make a written submission to Council on the draft document until 4.00pm on Friday 12 June 2026. All submissions received will be considered and final versions presented for adoption at the 25 June 2026 Ordinary Council Meeting prior to adoption by 30 June 2026.

In accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998, Council will redact any names, email addresses, contact numbers and residential addresses from all submissions received prior to inclusion in the future report to Council.

Thank you for taking the time to share your views.