Most Mornington Peninsula households would pay more for waste services, and contribute to a new discount for retirement village residents, under a draft Rating Strategy now out for community consultation.
Mornington Peninsula Shire has released its Rating Strategy Review on the Shape Our Future website, setting out proposed changes to rates, waste charges and farmland discounts from the 2026–27 financial year.
The consultation material focuses on how costs would be redistributed between different types of properties. It does not outline any specific internal savings to offset higher charges.
Higher waste charges for most households
The clearest hip pocket change is in waste services. The Shire is proposing to separate waste costs from the general rate and charge them as stand alone services.
Based on the current year budget, the Shire’s own figures show:
- Most properties with a kerbside bin collection would see their annual waste charge rise from $433 to $474, an increase of $41 a year
- Properties that do not receive a bin collection would see their charge cut from $433 to $130, a reduction of $303 a year
The proposal also introduces a separate charge for public waste and cleaning services, effectively spelling out how much households pay for street bins, street sweeping and other shared waste programs as well as their own bins.
Retirement village discount funded by wider rate base
A headline item is a new Retirement Village Differential Rate, set at 80 per cent of the general rate for eligible retirement village properties.
The Shape Our Future page states that this discount would “add $4 more to the average household’s rates”. In other words, the cost of providing a lower rate to retirement village residents would be spread across the broader rate base, rather than absorbed within the existing budget.
The proposal follows concern from retirement village residents about rate increases after changes to the way their units are valued.
No separate full payment option from 2027
From 2027–28, the Shire is proposing changes to how rates are paid. Under the draft model:
- Annual rate notices would be issued in August 2027
- Quarterly instalments would fall in September and December 2027, then February and May 2028
- The separate full payment option would be removed, although ratepayers could still choose to pre pay all four instalments by 30 September 2027
- Other payment methods and hardship arrangements would remain available
The change would standardise payment schedules, but removes the stand alone lump sum option that some households currently use.
Farmland discounts under rolling review
The draft strategy also proposes a new process for properties that receive a discounted farmland rate.
Council is suggesting a rolling four to five year review of all properties currently classified as farmland, with about 240 reassessed each year to confirm they still meet the criteria for the discount.
The Shire says the program is designed to “ensure fairness and consistency across all ratepayers”.
Consultation focuses on trade offs, not cuts
The online project page describes the proposed changes as involving “trade offs” that will affect different households and property types in different ways.
The material released for consultation highlights how:
- Most households with bins would pay more for waste services
- Households without bins would pay substantially less
- Average ratepayers would contribute to funding the new retirement village discount
The documents do not identify specific savings within Council operations to offset the extra costs on most ratepayers.
How to have your say
Community consultation on the Rating Strategy Review runs from 9 December 2025 to 15 February 2026, with a hearing for written submissions scheduled for 19 February 2026 at the Rosebud office from 5 pm.
Residents and ratepayers can:
- Read the Draft Rates Options and Farmland Classification documents on the Shape Our Future website
- Complete the online survey
- Lodge a written submission and, if they wish, speak at the February hearing
Feedback will be used to shape the final Rating Strategy, which will guide how the rates burden is shared across the Mornington Peninsula in coming years.
