There will be no significant changes to our existing services and programs this year, and we will continue to provide specific services or programs that we are required to under the Local Government Act and other Acts and Regulations. We are also proposing new actions and projects this year to advance our Strategic Plan.
🆕New projects
New projects for an enviable lifestyle
- Pedestrian crossings in the main street, Walter Avenue, Longview Road and Gameau Road in Two Wells to improve pedestrian safety, calm traffic and promote safer roads.
- Lighting for the Two Wells main street playground and car park.
- Footpaths and street lighting adjacent Old Mallala Road and Mallala Road in Two Wells.
- A Community Partnerships Fund with a total of $100,000 available to support local community projects that make a positive contribution to our region’s community.
- A Youth Development Program to support the growth, wellbeing and skills of young people in our community.
- Prepare a Thompson Beach Foreshore Park (Recreational Area 1) master plan, and detailed plans to implement the Parham Foreshore Master Plan.
New projects for an emerging economy
- Two Wells Town Centre project development advisor to manage our role in the development.
New projects for remarkable landscapes
- Stormwater management in Chapman Street, Two Wells, to address stormwater issues and infrastructure impacts in the Chapman Street catchment.
- A 110m footpath connection from Liberty/Stockyard Road to Old Mallala Road to improve walkability in Two Wells.
New projects for proactive leadership
- Complete stage 2 of our Data Migration Strategy, to move our legacy records from externally managed information technology infrastructure to an internally owned and operated central electronic records management system.
- Implement new cemetery mapping and records management software that allows the upload of existing paper-based cemetery records and a digital map of the cemetery plots.
- Migrate our corporate software from an externally managed service to an internally managed service.
🚧Capital works
Asset renewal is the focus of this year’s capital works program, in line with our Infrastructure & Asset Management Plan. This focus includes undertaking renewals close to expiry over a 10 year period, balanced with our internal resources to complete or manage the work. We also receive $176,000 in plant trade-in value that further funds capital works. The Roads to Recovery grant from the Federal Government will also be directed towards road renewal.
- Resheeting 42km of unsealed roads
- Resealing 10km of sealed roads in Dublin, Lewiston and Windsor
- $4.1m in asset renewals (capital works) including road resheeting and resealing.
- $423,500 in new or upgraded assets including pedestrian crossings in Two Wells, connecting paths and street lighting and playground lighting in Two Wells and stormwater management in Chapman Street, Two Wells
The full draft capital works program, including roads, is available on pages 68 to 71 of the document.
📃Rates and charges
Rates are collected to fund services, infrastructure, programs and projects for our community and region. General rates are our main source of funding.
Rates are levied as a tax on property, and are not a service or user charge. Much like other taxes we pay, the amount of rates paid by a ratepayer may not directly relate to the services they use, but contribute to the region as a whole, for today and future generations. For example, one ratepayer may walk the Lewiston trails every week but choose not to visit the library, and another ratepayer may visit the library regularly for social connection, but rarely visit nature reserves. Both of their rates contributions support their local environment and community services.
We have an average of 6.5 ratepayers for every square kilometre of our region, which is much lower than many councils in metropolitan Adelaide and this impacts our average general rate. While our region’s population is growing, more properties (and residents) also means it costs more to maintain our infrastructure and expand our services.
Rate capping
We acknowledge that not everyone will have capacity to pay a significant rate increase, so this year we are implementing a 15% ‘cap’ on rate increases for properties where the valuation increase is not the result of development on the property.
Read our Draft Rating Policy for the criteria, from page 76 of the document.
Proposed rates and charges for 2025/2026
We are proposing to increase the average general rate across the region by 2.8% (including growth), with a different average increase for each land use code. This average general rate increase includes growth in number of properties. We are also proposing to introduce rates capping – meaning ratepayers that have not developed their property will not pay more than a 15% increase compared to last year’s rates.
Key figures
| Item | 2025/26 draft | 2024/25 budget | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average general rate per rateable property including the fixed charge | $2,308 | $2,245 | 2.8% or $63/year or $1.21/week |
| Average general rate increase | 2.8% | 5.07% | - |
| Number of rateable properties | 6,098 | 5,937 | 2.7% |
| Total expected revenue from general rates including the fixed charge | $14,071,960 | $13,327,289 | 5.6% |
| Total expected revenue from general rates and charges excluding the Regional Landscape Levy | $15,304,061 | $14,485,931 | 5.65% |
| Fixed charge included in the average rate | $417 | $278 | 50% or $139 |
| Kerbside waste collection fee: 3-bin or 2-bin | $216 | $210 | 2.86% |
| CWMS charge: Mallala | $847 | $792 | 7% |
| CWMS charge: Middle Beach | $558 | $522 | 7% |
What this might look like for you
The actual change you will see on your rates notice may be different to the average rate increase as your rates also depend on your property value, any development on your land, and any service charges.
The average rate increase within each land use code is higher than the average general rate (2.8%) that we mention. This is because the average general rate is the ‘mean’ calculation for the region – total rates revenue divided by the total number of properties. Within each land use code, the average rate increase is different, as it is calculated within that particular land use code’s valuations and total number of properties.
The actual change you will see on your rates notice may be different to the average rate, as your rates also depend on your property value, any development on your land, and any service charges.
Full details, including rates for all land use codes, are available in Appendix 3.
| Ratepayer type | Average general rate including fixed charge | Rate-in-the-dollar | Average increase from 2024/25 | Percentage of our ratepayers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident | $2,173 | 0.0029736 | 3.8% $79/year $1.53/week | 61% |
| Primary producer | $3,110 | 0.0027923 | 3.8% 113/year $2.17/week | 24% |
| Commercial | $1,636 | 0.0040442 | 3.8% $61/year $1.17/week | 0.5% |
| Commercial – other | $2,813 | 0.0045586 | 3.8% $104/year $2/week | 1.2% |
| Industry – light | $1,635 | 0.0044010 | 3.8% $61/year $1.17/week | 0.1% |
| Industry – other | $6,849 | 0.0052396 | 3.8% $254/year $4.88/week | 0.3% |
| Vacant land | $1,249 | 0.0030272 | 4.3% $52/year $0.99/week | 12% |
| Other | $2,263 | 0.0030123 | 3.8% $85/year $1.63/week | 1% |
The average general rate is the total expected revenue from general rates (including the fixed charge) divided by the total number of rateable properties.
The average rate increase within each land use code is higher than the average general rate that we mention. This is because the average general rate is the ‘mean’ calculation for the region – total rates revenue divided by the total number of properties. Within each land use code, the average rate increase is different, as it is calculated within that particular code’s valuations and total number of properties.
Calculation for the average general rate:
$14,071,960 ÷ 6,098 = $2,308
(a 2.8% increase from last year)
Total revenue from general rates ÷ Total number of rateable properties = Average general rate
Example calculation for the average residential rate:
$8,081,546 ÷ 3,719 = $2,173
(a 3.8% increase from last year)
Total revenue from general rates ÷ Total number of residential properties = Average residential rate
In setting rates, councils are governed by the Local Government Act 1999 which provides flexibility for councils to make decisions that suit their local community. The way one council structures its rates may differ to another council. Each council also provides different services, and are affected by different levels of growth.
Councils are increasingly being relied upon to deliver more services and infrastructure for their local communities well beyond roads, rates and rubbish, and as a fast growing region, Adelaide Plains Council is not immune to this.
We have an average of 6.5 ratepayers for every square kilometre of our region, which is much lower than many councils in metropolitan Adelaide and this impacts our general rate. While our region’s population is growing, more properties (and residents) also means it costs more to maintain our infrastructure and expand our services.
We appreciate that everyone is affected by increasing costs. If you are struggling to pay your rates, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss the different options available to you.
💰Income and expenses
It will cost approximately $24.7m to fund this year’s business plan and day-to-day operations. That amount includes our recurrent, operating and capital expenditure.
Recurrent and operating expenses
$20.534m
To maintain our current services, the budget forecasts an underlying operating deficit of $514,000, which will be offset by $2m from the Strategic Land Staged Transfer – Instalment 1 payment. Council will allocate $50,000 from that payment to our Community Partnership Fund. This will result in a $1.436m surplus that will enable Council to offset previous years’ losses, moving us towards a more sustainable financial position over time.
Recurrent income
$19.970m
To find our business plan, and to move to a more sustainable financial position by maintaining a break-even position over time, $19.970m in income is required.
Guide to the business plan and budget document
- Financial amounts in text, tables and figures may be rounded within this document. When in use, all amounts are rounded up to the nearest whole amount.
- This document is a work in progress. The information within this plan is correct as at 15 May 2025.
- Amendments may be made after consultation as new information is made available and they will be clearly explained in the final document.
Each financial year we prepare an Annual Business Plan and Budget. The business plan maps out the services and infrastructure we will deliver over the coming year, including what roads we will allocate money towards to reseal or resheet and what infrastructure will be installed or upgraded. The budget calculates what funds we need to be able to deliver these projects, which we use to calculate what rates will be for the coming year.
Councils must prepare a business plan and budget each financial year, under section 123 of the Local Government Act 1999. We publish our draft annual business plan, budget and Rating Policy together in one document, as they are informed by each other.
There is a lot of information that needs to be included in this document and many financial terms and concepts.
Financial amounts in text, tables and figures may be rounded. When in use, all amounts are rounded up to the nearest whole amount.
The document is presented in 4 key parts:
- Business plan
Our operational plan that describes the services and projects we plan to deliver this year. - Budget overview
How we will finance our business plan, what has influenced the budget, and an overview of our income and expenses. - Rates overview
How rates will be calculated, based on the budget, and a summary of how rates work. - Appendices
Our Draft Budget 2025/2026, and information relevant to our business plan and budget including capital works program, Draft Rating Policy and ESCOSA report from 2023.
You may be looking for some specific information:
- Summary of the business plan and budget: pages 13–17
- What we do: pages 10–11
- Rates and charges: from page 47
- Capital works program: from page 68
- Financial indicators: page 45
- Draft Budget 2025/2026: from page 62
The business plan and budget was developed over many months of meetings and workshops with Council Members, our Infrastructure & Environment Committee, Audit & Risk Committee and Council administration. We have also considered our strategic management plans and significant factors and influences, such as CPI predictions for SA, government grants, superannuation increases by the Federal Government and population growth in our region.
The draft document is still a work in progress. Amendments may be made after consultation as new information is made available. The information within the Draft Annual Business Plan & Budget 2025/2026 is correct as at 15 May 2025. Any amendments will be clearly explained in the final document.
Developing the budget
We develop our recurrent budget estimates using zero-based budgeting, where all expenses must be justified for each new accounting period. This process starts from a ‘zero base’ and each of our functions are evaluated for their needs and costs. Budgets are then constructed based on the requirements for the upcoming period, regardless of whether the budget is higher or lower than last year.
