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Welcome
The City of Greater Geelong has adopted a new budget development process for the 2026–27 financial year, allowing for earlier and more meaningful community input.
The new approach invites the community to help shape the direction of Council spending much earlier in the budget cycle.
Under the plan, a Budget Discussion Paper (view the discussion paper here) has been released to the community in mid-February, providing the community with the opportunity to leave comments and submissions until April 2026. A Community Panel will provide a more deeply informed recommendation of how to prioritise projects.
Bringing the community consultation into the budgetary process earlier will ensure that the community can shape the budget from a more fundamental level, rather than providing comments on a process that is almost complete.
The submissions will then be carefully reviewed as the final budget is developed, before targeted engagement with relevant community stakeholders from mid-April until the final budget is presented for endorsement by Council before 30 June.
Councillors will continue to engage in the usual listening posts, providing an additional channel for the community to express their feedback.
The new model for engagement has already been successfully implemented in other councils across Victoria, following reforms introduced by the Local Government Act 2020.
Scroll down to read about the multiple ways you help shape the 2026-27 budget.
Assets and Big Projects
The City of Greater Geelong looks after many assets including buildings, roads, and equipment, valued at around $5.3 billion in 2025. Maintaining and replacing all of these requires substantial ongoing investment.
Right now, the City has a four-year plan to spend $765 million on new projects. By 2035, everything the City owns could be worth about $9.6 billion.
Rate Cap Rules
Councils in Victoria can only increase rates by a small amount each year. But the cost of running services goes up faster than that. This means councils have to keep doing the same work with less money each year.
Managing Growth
Over the next 10 years, Geelong will get $1.3 billion worth of new assets (like roads and parks) from developers and will spend $1.9 billion on building new things. At the same time, the City has to provide services for a growing population.
| To ensure Council has the financial capacity to deliver on the Community Vision and Council Plan, financial resources must be managed responsibly and efficiently over the long term. Council’s strategic levers for achieving financial sustainability include: |
| Lever 1 – Optimise Current & Explore New Revenue Opportunities |
| Lever 2 – Initiate Strategic Efficiencies |
| Lever 3 – Review & Rationalise Property & Assets |
| Lever 4 – Strategic Service Reviews |
| Lever 5 – Strategic & Sustainable Design Of Capital Program |
Have Your Say
Community Panel
Are you passionate about the future of our community? The City of Greater Geelong is calling on everyday community members to help us plan for the 2026-27 Budget.
We are seeking expressions of interest from people who wish to be part of a randomly selected community panel of approximately 50 people.
The City of Greater Geelong Community Panel will collaborate with the Council to develop draft recommendations for the budget for the next financial year.
Join our Community Panel
Click through to express your interest in joining our Community Panel. EOIs close Wednesday 8 March.
Councillors will be visiting various locations to hear your ideas. Click through for a full list of times and locations.
Do you or your community group have a new project or initiative you're passionate about and would like Council to consider in the 2026-27 budget?
Please note:
Projects that were previously submitted for consideration in the 2025-26 budget process, and did not progress, do not need to be resubmitted this year. These proposed projects are already included for consideration in the 2026-27 budget.
Please click below to share your ideas. You can request a hard copy of the form by contacting the team listed in the 'Who's listening' section of this page.
| 2025-26 to 2028-29 Budget and Revenue and Rating Plan Submissions |
| Advocacy for increased capital investment in road sealing |
| Feedback and support for Community Grants and Partnerships and Waste Management projects in the FY26 budget |
| Feedback on proposed increases to Commercial Rates |
| Feedback on valuation of land and Farm Rating |
| Funding for facility lighting at tennis courts in Geelong |
| General feedback on the proposed budget publication; cost of living pressures, cuts to community services and roads infrastructure |
| Request for additional funding to complete roads maintenance and upgrades |
| Request for allocation of infrastructure funding for footpaths in Reigate Road Highton |
| Request for funding a Business Case for Additional basketball courts at Bellarine Aquatic and Sports Centre (BASC) |
| Request for funding for 2nd Netball Court Osborne Park Nth Geelong |
| Request for funding for a Business Growth Program |
| Request for funding for Breakwater Oval upgrades |
| Request for funding for Leopold Cricket Club Facility Upgrades |
| Request for funding for Moolap Tennis Club Facility Upgrades |
| Request for funding for outdoor recreation spaces in Lara |
| Request for funding for the Drysdale Railway Station Public Toilets Upgrade |
| Request for funding for the Norlane Community Centre Redevelopment |
| Request for funding for tree management and tree canopy protection |
| Request for funding public realm upgrades in Highton and Geelong West |
| Request for funding to build the Curlewis Community Health Hub |
| Request for funding to complete Lara Sporting Club Facility Upgrades |
| Request for funding to complete the Kyema-Lipson Drainage Project |
| Request for funding to complete the Moorpanyal Park redevelopment |
| Request for funding to completed active and safe transport networks in Barwon Heads / Ocean Grove |
| Request for funding to develop a Business Case for a Regional Football Facility |
| Request for increased funding allocation for Footpath Infrastructure in St Albans Park |
| Request for increased Funding for Neighbourhood Houses |
| Request for increased funding investment for Drainage Infrastructure upgrades in Geelong West |
| Request for increased Grant and Partnership Funding for Environment & Climate Action Initiatives |
| Request for increased investment into Performing Arts & Community Theatre in Geelong |
| Request for investment in infrastructure projects in Geelong's Northern Suburbs |
| Request for recurrent funding of $250k per annum for Hope Bereavement Care |
| Request for reinstatement of Committee for Geelong membership funding |
| Request to reinstate funding to complete the Portarlington Recreation Reserve Masterplan |
| 2025-26 to 2028-29 Budget Initiative Submissions |
| Addition of Bike Lanes in High Street Belmont and Barrabool Road Highton |
| Arts & Culture - Additional Grant Funds for UNESCO Design Week events for community groups |
| Belmont Cycling Track Lighting & 24/7 Safe Access Initiative |
| Construction of a Primary School Drop off zone - Barwon Heads Primary School |
| Construction of Goal Safety Netting at East Geelong Football and Netball Club (Western End) |
| Develop a Central Transport Hub for Corio to improve connectivity and reduce travel times. |
| Disability Access - Geelong All-Abilities Sports Club - Breakwater Oval |
| Drainage improvements - Montgomery Ave Hamlyn Heights |
| Ervin Reserve - Facility & Lighting Upgrades |
| Footpaths - Foreshore Clifton Springs (The Dell) |
| Friends of Buckley Falls - reinstatement of recurrent funding |
| Funding for 2nd Netball Court - North Geelong Football Netball Club |
| Funding for a Spectator/Player Shelter at Grinter Reserve - Oval 2 |
| Funding for a Community Place Based Needs Study - Ocean Grove |
| Funding for a Masterplan at St Albans Football Netball Club facilities to upgrade netball courts, seating and facilities |
| Funding for additional public streetlighting |
| Funding for community Sustainability Initiatives |
| Funding for Footpath - Golf Links Rd to Stephens Parade Barwon Heads |
| Funding for Footpath - Melaluka Rd Leopold - Highway to bus stop |
| Funding for LGBTQIA+ Action Plan Implementation |
| Funding for Ryrie Street - Streetscape Upgrades - tree lighting |
| Funding for the upgrade of Eastern Park Bowls Club - Clubhouse upgrade including toilets |
| Funding to build and All Abilities Toilet at Harvey Park St Leonards |
| Funding to complete the DeMotts Road upgrade |
| Funding to complete upgrade of nets, pitches and clubroom at Newcombe Cricket Club |
| Funding to develop a Tree Register for Greater Geelong |
| Funding to implement a program of Youth activities at night in Geelong |
| Geelong BMX - Pavillion Development Grinter Reserve |
| Geelong Gallery expansion to City Hall |
| Geelong West–Hamlyn Heights Secure Dog Play Space Initiative |
| Howard Glover Reserve - Infrastructure Upgrades |
| Increased availability for community use of Civic Space - Wurriki Nyal |
| Investment in a Bellarine link to improve traffic flow |
| Investment in Cunningham Pier Revitalisation to increase tourism |
| Kyema-Lipson Drainage Upgrade Phase 2 |
| Laneway (Bituminise) upgrade - Drumcondra |
| Moolap Reserve - Funding to resurface Tennis Courts |
| Moolap Reserve - Funding to upgrade and repurpose Netball Courts for Pickleball |
| Moolap Reserve - Pavillion Design Stage 2 |
| Moolap Reserve - Upgrade to lighting infrastructure - courts 3,4,5 & 6 |
| Mt Braddon Masterplan Implementation |
| Mt Duneed - Tennis court infrastructure and High School for residents |
| Nature strip makeover competition |
| NDIS support for travel to Geelong |
| Norlane West Scout Group - Funding for a new Scout Hall |
| North Bellarine Aquatic - Opex funding for Winter Season |
| Northern Bay College - Funding for Fit Club initiative - Sport & Nutrition Coaching |
| Ocean Grove - Bellarine Rail Trail - Safe Cycling Link |
| Portarlington Football and Netball Club - Reinstatement of funding to complete Master Plan |
| Rating - Delete Commercial Differential from rating system for CBD properties |
| Rating - Rate ceiling |
| Recurrent funding for Reconciliation in the Park event |
| Refurbishment of Superintendents Residence - Eastern Park |
| Replacement Rotunda in Central Drysdale |
| Road Infrastructure - funding for upgrade between Drysdale and Portarlington |
| Royal Geelong Yacht Club - Funding for Social Impact Program |
| Shorts Place South Upgrade - Paving |
| St Albans Reserve - Netball Facilities Upgrade |
| St Augustine’s Park South Valley Road Highton - Revitalisation |
| St Leonards - Closure of Ibbotson St to create Greenway |
| Tanner St Reserve - Cricket pitch replacement & upgrade |
| Thomson Football Netball Club - Sports Lighting Upgrade |
| Topgolf-Style Driving Range Proposal for Balliang Par 3 |
| Urban Forest & Climate Resilience Initiative |
What types of ideas are considered?
Click through to see the full criteria and submit your project.
