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Our 4-year Council Budget

Council met on 16 April 2025, and adopted the proposed 4-year Budget 2025-2029 for public exhibition.

This year's total budget is $237.9 million and continues Council’s focus on core services and infrastructure, while improving our services and innovating where possible.

Some of the highlights of the budget are:

  • Commencing planning and design of the $60 million Coburg library and piazza project
  • Improvement to parks, open space and streetscapes
  • Roads and carparks renewal and maintenance
  • Footpaths, bicycle paths and transport infrastructure
  • $313,573 towards 3 Community budget initiatives. Our community suggested projects and voted on their preferred ideas.

Ideas from our community

The budget has been influenced by ideas submitted during our community engagement in November 2024. In the first stage of engagement 42 projects and initiatives were submitted that met the criteria.

In the second stage we ran a community voting program, including 6 pop-up sessions. A total of 1,060 people voted on their top three projects.

Council has allocated $313,573 towards 3 finalist initiatives that have been included in the proposed budget:

  • Improving Gilpin dog park: $160,000
  • Lizards with bikes – revitalising the Coburg Velodrome underpass: $100,000
  • Challenging gender-based violence through youth led initiatives: $53,573

Community feedback on the proposed 4-year Council Budget has now closed

The proposed 4-year Council Budget was available for viewing and feedback from 24 April to 22 May 2025.

The proposed budget was available to download or available at our 3 customer service centres and our Merri-bek libraries in hard copy.

Drop in sessions we held:

  • Tuesday 6 May 2025
    11am - 1pm
    Coburg library
  • Monday 12 May 2025
    12pm - 2pm
    Brunswick library
  • Wednesday 14 May 2025
    11am - 1pm
    Glenroy library

Feedback closed at 11:59pm, Thursday 22 May 2025.

Join the conversation online

Download the proposed budget (PDF 8 MB) open in new window

You will need to be a registered Conversations Merri-bek user in order to make a submission. This is to protect the integrity and fairness of the consultation and your personal details will not be used for any other purpose. See instructions below on how to register or log in.

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3. To create your profile you will need to add: Screen name, email address, password, full name and postcode. Check the boxes that apply and click "CREATE ACCOUNT"

4. Now you can make your submission

Related engagement

  • Community Budget Ideas 2025/26

    The Merri-bek community had a say in the initiatives that were put forward to potentially be included as part of the 2025-2026 Budget

    Find out more