Council meeting summary: May 2025

Published on 28 May 2025

Below is a summary of some agenda items and resolutions from the May 2025 Council meeting.

Resolutions relating to confidential items can be found in the meeting minutes, generally available no later than 48 hours after the meeting. 

Updated Policies adopted

Council adopted the following policies following a public exhibition period. No public submissions were received.

• Fraud & Corruption Policy V#3

• Procurement Policy V#3

• Data Breach Policy V#1

• Community Financial Assistance Policy V#4

The policies will be available for viewing on Council’s website.

Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) Meeting minutes

Council received the Minutes of the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) Meeting held on May 5, 2025. The following resolutions were noted:

• Newly appointed Independent Member Leanne Mulcahy joined the Committee at this meeting.

• Each director made a presentation to the Committee outlining the key risks and most important focus areas over the next 12-18 months in their directorate.

• That the ARIC received and noted the Draft Budget 25-26

• That the draft Borrowing Policy be endorsed.

• That the draft Procurement Policy V#3 be endorsed with some minor wording changes/clarifications.

• That the draft delegations of Authority (CEO to Council Officers) Policy v#8 is received and noted.

• The ARIC recommended that council consider adopting a more descriptive Risk Appetite Statement that clearly indicates the acceptable and unacceptable tolerance in each of Council’s Risk Categories.

Minutes and resolutions can be viewed in full via the Council agenda, item 9.2.5.

Council received the quarterly budget review for period ending 31 March 2025

Council’s quarterly budget review statement offers updated estimates of income and spending for the current financial year, based on the figures initially adopted in the 2024/25 Operational Plan.

As of 31 March 2025, Murray River Council’s financial position has improved slightly, with the revised budget deficit reduced by $374,520 to $5,848,197.

Key points from the review include:

• Operating Surplus (including capital grants) is now projected at $3,664,185 million, down $3,514,282 million from the approved budget, mainly due to a $2.79 million reduction in capital grants and reallocation of capital wages to operations.
• Operating Deficit (excluding capital grants) deteriorated by $721,183, now projected at $6,762,133 million, primarily due to the same wage reallocation.

• Income is expected to decrease by $2,631,047 million to $75,696,160million. Whilst there were small increases in fees and charges, operational grants, other revenues and investments, this was mostly driven by a reduction in capital grants and contributions received, as a result of adjustments to the capital works program. Note that when capital grants are received, revenue is only recognised as the capital work is completed, not on receipt, which is reflected in the budget.
• Expenses are projected to rise by $883,235 to $72,031,975 million, driven by increased employee costs (largely because of adjustments to the capital program) despite some identified savings in materials and contracts.

While the current financial position is considered manageable, the report warns that ongoing operating deficits could threaten long-term sustainability. A strategy to address this has been outlined in the 2026–2035 Long Term Financial Plan.

A detailed breakdown of the review and any variations can be found in Agenda Item 9.2.8

Council endorses Delegation Document for Moulamein South Recreation Reserve

Council has endorsed a new delegation agreement with the Moulamein South Recreation Reserve Committee, a Section 355 Committee of Council responsible for managing the Moulamein South Recreation Reserve.

This delegation document clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the Committee in managing the reserve grounds. It aims to remove past uncertainties that have existed around the division of duties between Council and its committees; uncertainties which have at times led to governance challenges, risk management issues, and concerns about long-term sustainability.

To better support all Section 355 Committees, Council has worked in consultation with each one to develop tailored delegation documents. These documents clarify the division of tasks and expectations, ensuring committees are well-informed and equipped to carry out their responsibilities.

Each delegation document is reviewed following the Committee’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and is then presented to the incoming committee for signing, confirming their understanding and agreement.

The Moulamein South Recreation Reserve includes sports grounds, hard courts, and tennis facilities. It is regularly used by the Moulamein Football Netball Club and the Moulamein Tennis Club, as well as other casual hirers throughout the year.

Section 355 Committee Reports

Each month, council receives meeting minutes from various Section 355 Committees.

These committees are delegated by Council to oversee the day-to-day management of facilities owned by MRC and provide advice about their ongoing upkeep. Council has 18 Section 355 committees that are made up of community volunteers.

The following meeting minutes were received for information this month:

• Wakool Memorial Hall- Extraordinary meeting (April 2025)
• Koraleigh Recreation Reserve & Hall (April 2025)
• Friends of Old Moama - General Meeting (April 2025)
• Murray Downs Riverside Park Meeting (April 2025)
• Moulamein South Recreation Reserve - General Meeting (April 2025)
• Moulamein South Extraordinary Meeting (April 2025)

Full meeting minutes can be found in agenda item 9.5.3.

Community Grants awarded

Murray River Council has awarded $30,000 in community grants to help support a wide range of community projects.

Community groups and not-for-profit organisations were invited to apply for up to $3,000 for projects or events under round two of the 24/25 Community Grants Program, which closed on 7 April. 

20 applications were received, seeking a combined total of $46,754.

The successful projects in this round reflect the diverse needs and priorities of the Murray River Council community, with funded projects spread across various townships and interest areas.

These include:

Updated Borrowing Policy to be on display

Murray River Council is placing its revised Borrowing Policy on public display. The policy outlines how and when Council may use borrowings to responsibly fund capital works and projects.

Borrowings are generally an appropriate source of funding for the following reasons.

• Land acquisitions;
• Asset acquisitions for strategic property holding or commercial opportunities (e.g: projects that generate an income that can be used to service the borrowing);
• New assets constructed (e.g: roads, sports/aquatic centre, sporting field, arts centre etc);
• An asset upgrade (e.g: a footpath widening); and/or
• A specific and significant one-time asset renewal or replacement, (e.g: replacement or refurbishment of significant asset components).

Where possible, borrowings should be repaid using income generated by the asset or service it supports—for example, using waste revenue to repay borrowings for a landfill.

The policy ensures borrowing decisions comply with the Local Government Act 1993, the Office of Local Government’s Borrowing Order, and Council’s own risk management practices.

The policy sets a framework to ensure borrowings remain within Council’s capacity to repay and do not jeopardise its long-term financial sustainability.

The draft version of the policy includes marked-up changes to inform the public of proposed updates.