Community invited to provide feedback on 2025-29 Council Plan
Published on 11 August 2025
Northern Grampians Shire residents have a final opportunity to shape several strategic documents outlining the municipality’s future, ahead of their formal adoption in October.
At a council meeting last week, councillors approved in-principle the 2025-29 Council Plan, which incorporates the 2025-29 Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan, along with 2025-35 asset and financial plans.
The Council Plan and Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan sets out key goals in health, education, economic growth, sustainability and infrastructure, integrating community vision and wellbeing. The combined document provides a clear and strategic four-year guide to how council will support the Northern Grampians Community Vision 2041, ‘To love where we live’.
The draft plan showcases five goals the council is seeking to achieve throughout the next four years: Live it up – health, wellbeing and community; Build it up – education, housing and skills; Business buzz – agriculture, economy and tourism; Clean it up – sustainability, climate and waste; and Do it well – infrastructure, finance and corporate services.
The plan details the 15 strategies the council will use to achieve each goal, along with the 40 actions it will pursue to achieve each strategy.
The plan includes a range of specific tasks, outlines how performance will be measured, and explains how supporting strategies and plans align with achieving the organisation’s long-term goals.
The Asset Plan provides a framework for maintaining and upgrading infrastructure assets, ensuring service equity and community resilience, while the Financial Plan ensures long-term financial viability, aligning with strategic documents and emphasising community involvement.
Mayor Karen Hyslop said together, the plans created a cohesive roadmap for achieving the council's vision and addressing current and future challenges.
She said councillors had endorsed the documents for community feedback and encouraged anyone wanting to make a submission to any of the plans to do so by 5pm on Friday, August 22.
“The draft plans have been informed by extensive consultation with the community, stakeholders and relevant experts, and have taken months of preparation,” she said.
“I would like to thank the council staff for the time and effort they have put into these plans, which are incredibly detailed.
“I’m really proud of the plans we have endorsed – I think they are some of the best plans we have had – and I encourage anyone wishing to have their say to do so as soon as possible.”
People can click a banner on the website to access a ‘Have your say’ webpage dedicated to the council, financial and asset plans, which includes a link for feedback submission.
Submissions can also be made via direct mail and addressed to: Chief Executive Officer, Northern Grampians Shire Council, PO Box 580, Stawell, VIC, 3380.
Copies of all three plans are available on the webpage. People can also view them in person at council’s customer service offices in Stawell and St Arnaud.
Council will review all submissions in September. Amendments to the draft plans might be made in response to feedback where appropriate, however not all submissions will result in changes as council must balance a wide range of views, priorities and statutory responsibilities.
While council will not notify individuals on the outcomes of their submissions, people can call customer service on (03) 5358 8700 or email ngshire@ngshire.vic.gov.au if they have any questions.
All three plans are scheduled to be endorsed by councillors at a council meeting in St Arnaud on Monday, October 6, 2025.