Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout and Executive Manager of Regional Activation Projects Christine Priest are encouraging Wagga residents to communicate with council about projects they’d like to see worked on over the next four years. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Council.
Wagga Wagga City Council is putting out a call for the local community to identify key issues or infrastructure that it should prioritise over the next four years.
As part of the council’s Community Strategic Plan – 2050, the population of Wagga will have the chance to voice what it believes needs work in the local government area.
The draft Combined Delivery Program 2025/29 and Operational Plan 2025/26 (DPOP), draft Long Term Financial Plan 2025/26 (LTFP), and draft 2025/26 Fees and Charges are on public exhibition, and council is seeking community feedback.
Manager Corporate Governance & Performance David Galloway said the documents were designed to demonstrate how council would turn community priorities into real action, year to year.
“They have been created based on the community’s priorities and aspirations identified in Wagga Wagga 2050 – Community Strategic Plan (CSP), which was adopted by council in April 2025 after 18 months of extensive community consultation and engagement,” Mr Galloway said.
“Collectively, the documents show our income (rates, fees, charges and grant funding), what we’re planning to deliver for the community by way of services, programs, and projects over the next four years, and how much it’s going to cost to deliver them.
“They are designed to ensure your rates and charges are directed to the outcomes that best contribute towards Wagga Wagga’s future as a vibrant, growing and sustainable regional city.”
The DPOP also identifies council’s priorities for our region. These include a commitment to develop village-specific plans in 2026, which will be based on community feedback, along with initiatives to address the availability, affordability and diversity of housing and advocacy for the future of our airport, a bypass for the city and funding for asset maintenance.
In the 2025/26 operational budget, capital works projects and programs account for more than $113.2 million of the planned activities for the financial year, including an allocation of $53.9 million for roads across our local government area.
Major capital projects include the Lake Albert Pipeline and Precinct Renewal Project, along with continued upgrades at the Livestock Marketing Centre and the Gregadoo Waste Management Centre.
Roads-related funding comprises $40.4 million in one-off projects, including upgrade works on the Gregadoo Road, Pine Gully Road and Plumpton Road corridors, and the Mates Gully Road upgrade, and $13.5 million in recurrent funding for roads programs such as the Pavement Rehabilitation, Reseal and Gravel Resheeting programs.
The Integrated Planning and Reporting suite of documents will be on public exhibition for 28 days, concluding on Tuesday, 10 June.
Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout is calling on the community to get involved in the consultation process.
“We want the community to read over the documents and share their feedback on what their council is planning to deliver and on how their rates are being spent, so we can meet their expectations of council over the next four years,” Cr Tout said.
“You can access the documents and make a submission online or drop in at one of the pop-up information stalls or engagement sessions that will be held over the next four weeks.
“We will be visiting multiple areas across our city and suburbs and heading out to our villages to show the community these important documents, and to get their input.”
To read the draft document, find details on how to make a submission and to view a list of where council will be visiting for its engagement sessions, visit the council’s website here.
