Benalla Rural City Council

What Benalla Rural City Council does

Benalla Rural City Council is the elected local government authority for the Benalla Rural City municipality in Victoria, Australia, operating under the Local Government Act 2020. The council delivers statutory municipal services to residents, businesses, and community groups within its geographic boundary, including rates and valuations administration, planning and building approvals, waste collection and resource recovery, library services, pet registration, roads and footpaths maintenance, community health and wellbeing programs, arts and culture initiatives, venues and parks management, and family and youth services. Service delivery is conducted through a combination of physical customer service locations (Customer Service Centre at 1 Bridge Street East, Benalla; Civic Centre at 13 Mair Street; the Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop Learning Centre library) and digital channels (the Council Services Portal and the Social Pinpoint-powered Have Your Say community engagement platform).

The council's core operational technology is a relatively standard civic services platform — a public website at benalla.vic.gov.au with self-serve online transactions for rates payments, pet registration, planning applications, and service requests, supplemented by the Have Your Say consultation portal. No proprietary AI/ML systems or platform architecture of note are disclosed; the technology stack is best characterised as a typical Australian rural council digital service footprint, with reliance on third-party providers including Social Pinpoint (engagement), Gray Canning (architecture masterplanning), Road Solutions (road safety engineering), Eukai (transport planning), Ninety Mile Consulting (strategic planning), and CLASS Training (community AI literacy). Council meetings are live-streamed on YouTube and minutes are publicly accessible.

The revenue model is a hybrid of compulsory and discretionary charges. Rates income (expected at $19.4 million in 2026/27, up 3.33%) is the largest stream, levied annually under the Victorian Government's 2.75% rate cap. User fees and charges ($3.814 million budgeted for 2026/27) cover waste management (+5% to cover kerbside collection fuel costs), venue hire, and transactional fees. Waste management is a subscription-style annual charge on top of general rates. Government grants from State and Federal sources fund infrastructure projects, community programs, and partnership initiatives such as the Saleyards Road Dog Park (DEECA), the Social Inclusion Action Group (Department of Health), and the Active Transport Plan (Transport Accident Commission). A separate annual revenue line includes lease income from the Tesla EV charging licence. Freedom of Information requests are charged at a statutory $34.50 per application. The council is governed by an elected Mayor (Bernie Hearn), Deputy Mayor (Justin King), Councillors, and is administered by Acting Chief Executive Officer Robert Barber with Nilesh Singh as Interim General Manager Corporate.

Name

Benalla Rural City Council

Legal name

Benalla Rural City Council

Website

https://benalla.vic.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Benalla Rural City Council is the elected local government authority serving residents, businesses, and community groups of Benalla Rural City in Victoria, Australia, delivering statutory municipal services including rates, planning, building approvals, waste management, and community programs funded through rates, user fees, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Municipal administration
• Council rates
• Community services
• Waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Benalla

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Rates Revenue: Rates are expected to raise $19.4 million, which is 3.33 per cent more than last year. The Council will apply the full 2.75 per cent rate cap set by the Victorian Government.
2. User Fees and Charges: User fees are budgeted to raise $3.814 million of revenue in 2026/27. Fees and Charges for 2026/27 include a proposed 2.75 per cent increase.
3. Government Funding and Grants: Council receives funding from State and Federal Governments for various projects including infrastructure, recreation facilities, and community programs.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Benalla Rural City Council is a local government authority operating under the Local Government Act 2020 in Victoria, Australia. It delivers municipal services and statutory functions including rates and valuations, building and planning approvals, animal (pet) management, waste collection, road maintenance, library services, and community programs to residents and businesses within the Benalla Rural City municipality.

Product overview

Benalla Rural City Council operates as a unified civic services platform providing essential municipal services to residents. The council offers an integrated service delivery model through its main website portal and the 'Have Your Say' community engagement platform. Core services include waste management and recycling, library services, planning and building approvals, rates and valuations management, pet registration, and community facilities. The council utilizes the Social Pinpoint community engagement platform for public consultation on various projects and initiatives. Services are delivered through both digital channels (online portal, Have Your Say platform) and physical locations (Customer Service Centre, Library).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rates and Valuations

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TeslaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 June 2026Council approved a licence for Tesla to install electric vehicle (EV) charging points in Barkly Street car park. Tesla will develop, fund, construct, and operate the EV charging station. The lease term is five years, with two further five-year options. The project includes eight dedicated EV charging spaces supported by Tesla V4 chargers rated to 300 kW. Council receives an annual lease fee.
• Ninety Mile ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Engaged by Council alongside the Community Panel to develop the draft Council Plan 2025-2029. Provided consulting services for community engagement and strategic planning.
• Tomorrow Today FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivering the 2026 Benalla Community Expo Come and Try Day in partnership with Benalla Rural City Council's Social Inclusion Action Group (SIAG).
• Road SolutionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSpecialist road safety engineering consultancy engaged to prepare the draft Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030.
• EukaiminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSpecialist transport planning consultancy engaged to prepare the draft Active Transport Plan 2025-2030.
• Gray CanningminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm that prepared the Draft Recreation Reserve Masterplan Report dated 15 June 2026.
• CLASS TrainingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider engaged to deliver the Mastering AI Tools Workshop for community members, students, volunteers, and local businesses.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wangaratta Rural City Council: Neighbouring rural city council in north-east Victoria serving a similar small-town population with rates, waste, planning, and community services. Directly comparable in scale, statutory function, and revenue mix to Benalla Rural City Council.
• Greater Shepparton City Council: Regional Victorian council of similar function (rates, waste, planning, recreation) covering the broader Goulburn Valley. Operates with comparable mix of own-source revenue and state grants, and faces similar rural demographic dynamics.
• Mansfield Shire Council: Small rural Victorian shire delivering equivalent local government services (rates, waste collection, planning, community programs). Comparable in size, geographic profile, and reliance on Victorian Government grants.
• Indigo Shire Council: North-east Victorian rural shire providing statutory municipal services including waste, roads, building, and community wellbeing. Strong analogue for Benalla's scale and small-ratepayer-base dynamics.
• Moira Shire Council: Rural Victorian shire delivering similar municipal services including waste management, recreation facilities, and community grants. Comparable governance structure and revenue composition.
• Strathbogie Shire Council: Adjacent small rural shire in north-east Victoria offering equivalent rates, planning, waste, and community services. Useful peer for benchmarking capital works programs and fee structures.
• Wodonga Council: Regional Victorian council on the NSW border providing the same suite of municipal services. Slightly larger but directly comparable in operating model, community engagement framework, and grant-funded capital program.
• Alpine Shire Council: Small rural Victorian shire providing identical local government services including waste, recreation, and planning. Comparable population scale and rural rate base constraints.
• Towong Shire Council: Small rural Victorian shire with similar functional scope (rates, waste, roads, community programs). Comparable in fiscal profile and dependency on State Government funding.
• Murrindindi Shire Council: Rural Victorian shire offering equivalent municipal services including waste collection, recreation reserves, and community grants. Useful peer for small-council capital program benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbenalla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Benalla Rural City Council