Celebrating the past, planning for the future

Published on 30 October 2025

The key plans that will guide Loddon Shire Council over the next four years are now official.

The Council Plan 2025-2029 and Community Vision was adopted at Council’s October meeting, along with the Financial Plan 2025/26 – 2034/35.

Both plans were sent for public feedback following a special Council meeting in September and some minor changes were made following submissions.

The Community Vision, developed by a Community Reference Group, is “Thriving communities where everyone is welcome and all have the opportunity to live, work and create experiences” and the Council Plan seeks to deliver on that statement.

The Council Plan is the framework within which Council will operate for the next four years and is developed by each incoming Council.

It outlines Council’s strategic direction around five themes, in order to deliver the Community Vision: Thriving, Welcome, Live, Work and Experience, and outlines the steps needed to achieve these goals.

Loddon Shire Mayor Dan Straub said a lot of hard work had gone into drafting the Plan, which also for the first time incorporates the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, but that was only the start of it.

“It’s now up to Council to ensure we deliver on community expectations,” he said.

“I am confident that will be the case – everything we do in the next four years will be guided by the Council Plan in some way.”

The Financial Plan provides the framework for Council’s finances for the next 10 years and will be the guiding document for the annual budget.

It also provides the foundation for the strategic work needed to strengthen Council’s long-term financial position with a detailed look, based on currently available information, on how Council might guide a path through the next 10 years while also providing the services that the community expects.

But it wasn’t all about the future at the Council meeting – also adopted was the 2024/25 Annual Report.

Cr Straub encouraged residents and ratepayers to have a look at the document.

“We’re often asked what Council does and there’s no better answer than that found in the Annual Report,” he said.

“It contains an easy-to-read snapshot of Council’s activities during the past financial year, as well as information on staff and our financial statements among many other things.”

The Council Plan and Community Vision, Financial Plan and Annual Report can all be found on Council’s website.