Council plan and budget

Council works closely with the community to help set our direction for the future of Kingston. In 2020, a representative panel of community members was formed to work with us to develop strategies and a clear Vision for the future.

The Community Panel dedicated over 2,000 hours to develop:

• a Community Vision
• recommendations for the Council Plan, Public Health & Wellbeing Plan
• plans for how we manage Kingston’s money and assets.

Council continues to provide community engagement opportunities to understand our community’s vision for the future for Kingston. Visit Your Kingston Your Say for your opportunity to help shape Kingston.

The Vision is a high-level strategic document required under the Local Government Act 2020.  It describes our community’s aspirations for our municipality for the next ten years and guides Council decision making by articulating what the community wants Kingston to be.

Our Community Vision:
Kingston is a resilient, inclusive and diverse community.
We are building the most liveable and sustainable city in Victoria.
We champion and nurture our green and open spaces creating a safe, healthy environment.
Our shared legacy connects our community, embracing innovation, making Kingston the place to live.

The Community Vision should be read in conjunction with the Council Plan 2021-25(PDF, 22MB).

Read our full Community Vision report(PDF, 749KB).

Every four years, a Council Plan is developed to set the strategic direction and objectives for each Council Term. The Plan outlines the strategies that contribute to the achievement of those objectives and Council’s long term Community Vision.

Our Roadmap: Council Plan 2021- 2025(PDF, 22MB) provides accountability to the community, directs the organisation, and helps track performance and guide decision making. It sets out how we will work in partnership with our community, key stakeholders, community organisations, surrounding municipalities and other levels of government to build a more liveable and sustainable Kingston. 

The Council Plan was adopted at the Council Meeting on 25 October 2021 and meets our legislative requirements in the Local Government Act 2020.

Our six Strategic Directions and Objectives are:

1. Liveable - Our city will be a vibrant, enjoyable, and easy place to live.
2. Sustainable - We prioritise our environment and reduce our impact on the earth.
3. Prosperous - We will embrace the concept of a 20-minute neighbourhood, support the ongoing process of decentralisation and support people to live and work locally.
4. Healthy & Inclusive - We are progressive, inclusive and prioritise the wellbeing of all members of our community.
5. Safe - Our community will feel safe, and be safe, in all aspects of their lives
6. Well Governed - Council will be collaborative, accountable, transparent, responsive, well-informed and efficient.

Annual Action Plan

Each year we develop an Annual Action Plan, which outlines the key actions we are intending to achieve for our community for the next 12 months. These actions are aimed at moving us closer to achieving our Community Vision and Council Plan.

Read our full Annual Action Plan 2024-2025(PDF, 2MB).

Performance Reports

Progress towards the Council Plan is reported in our Quarterly Performance Reports and the Annual Report.

Kingston's Quarterly Performance Reports provide information on Council’s key actions, results for strategic indicators and expenditure for each quarter. 

More on Performance Reports.

The Annual Budget outlines the services and initiatives that Council will undertake each financial year.  The Budget includes detailed information about:

• rates and charges to be levied
• capital works program to be undertaken
• where Council allocates its financial resources
• other financial information

Our Budget 2024-25(PDF, 9MB) was adopted at the Council Meeting on 27 May 2024.

The 2024-2025 Budget has been developed following community consultation via our Talking Kingston community engagement platform.

We also developed a Long-Term Financial Plan which provides a 10-year financially sustainable projection of how the actions of the Council Plan may be funded to achieve the Community Vision.

Under the Local Government Act 2020, all councils are also required to develop a Revenue & Rating Plan.

Our previous Budgets

The Budget 2023-2024(PDF, 3MB) was adopted at a Council meeting on 26 June 2023.  

Please contact us to request budgets from earlier years.

This is a ten-year plan that ensures Kingston remains financially sustainable in the medium to long term demonstrates how Council will use financial and non-financial resources to achieve the strategic directions, objectives and strategies as outlined in the Council Plan. It is a ten-year plan that ensures we remain financially sustainable in the medium to long term.

The Financial Plan is updated annually with each Annual Budget and meets the legislative requirements specified in the Local Government Act 2020 and Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2020.

Read the full Financial Plan 2024-2025(PDF, 1MB)

Please contact us to request financial plans from earlier years.

Maintaining vital infrastructure and delivering new projects that strengthen our community is our priority, and as the level of government closest to the community, we have a long-standing tradition of lobbying State and Federal Government on behalf of your community. 

More on major projects.

The Asset Plan 2021-31(PDF, 2MB) has a ten-year horizon and outlines Kingston’s approach to asset management, the future challenges and opportunities for managing our assets. It includes the funding requirements to maintain our assets and ensure we can continue to deliver our current services.