Assistance sought for rising election costs

An appeal for help to address the rising costs of conducting council elections will be taken to the next level.
Cr Annemarie McCabe reported Baw Baw Shire's motion on the topic gained strong support at last month's Municipal Association of Victoria state council meeting.
Cr McCabe, who attended the meeting in Melbourne, put forward a motion for the state government to assist local government meet the rising costs of council elections, by-elections and ward boundaries reviews.
She said the motion was carried unanimously.
Council officers reported Baw Baw Shire was facing an increase of more than $60,000 to run this year's council elections as opposed to the most recent elections in 2020. The indicative cost for 2024, as provided by the Victorian Electoral Commission, was $294,757. The indicative cost in 2020 was $232,588.
The estimated cost of this year's ward boundary review was $36,529, officers stated.