Council releases 2023-24 annual report

The organisation employs a total of 931 people, with 64 per cent being female and 36 per cent male.

The employee turnover was 13 per cent, a decrease from 16 per cent in the last financial year.

The total revenue for 2023 was $177.2 million and the total expenditure was $147.1 million, leaving 2023 with a surplus of $30.1 million.

The 2024 result was a little more dry, with a total deficit of $958,000 from a revenue of $158 million and $158.9 million in expenses.

Of the total expenses, 96.9 per cent was spent on employee costs ($55.3 million), materials and services ($59.2 million) and depreciation ($40.6 million).

Council’s total equity at the end of the financial year was $1.35 billion.

Councillors, excluding the mayor and deputy mayor, were each paid $32,549.

Sam Spinks was paid $43,147 and Anthony Brophy $41,613 total, which includes their respective periods as deputy mayor.

Mayor Shane Sali was paid an allowance of $113,374; however, his total compensation was $146,606, which includes travel expenses and “expenses to support the performance of the role”.

Council’s performance is rated through five themes: Community leadership, social responsibility and well-being, vibrant and diverse economy, infrastructure and technology, and environment and climate emergency.

For community leadership, council set 13 targets and achieved 11 of them.

The two not met were asset renewal and upgrade as a percentage of total depreciation, in which they set a goal of 100 per cent and achieved 80 per cent, and the other was underlying operating result, which had a goal of minus two per cent but they achieved minus 10 per cent.

There were a few targets under this theme that were over achieved, including a goal of a liquidity ration of >100 per cent (it achieved 172 per cent) and number of programs and initiatives delivered in the interest of young people, with a target of three and an outcome of 60.

Looking at theme two, social responsibility and well-being, council achieved 100 per cent of the 15 targets set for this financial year.

Most of the goals included implementing several plans, such as the LGBTIQA+ action plan, gender equality plan, creative city plan and the affordable housing action plan.

Twenty-two targets were set for theme three, vibrant and diverse economy, of which council achieved 20.

The two outcomes not reached were number of case studies to increase renewable energy planning and land use, which had a target of one and reached none, and the other being implementation of industrial growth corridors, which had a goal of two and an outcome of 0.8.

One of the biggest successes in this theme was the number of new businesses council assists to invest in Greater Shepparton, which had a goal of 60 and an achievement of 108.

Theme four, infrastructure and technology, had 15 targets in which council did not complete one: secure construction funding for stage one of the GV Highway Shepparton Bypass.

The biggest success in this category was the number of people cycling or walking to work within Greater Shepparton, which had a goal of 379 but ended up with 1132.

The final theme, environment and climate emergency, had the lowest success rate, with 16 targets and eight achieved.

The targets not reached were:

The targets reached were:

To read the full annual report, head to tinyurl.com/GSCCreport2023-24