Community consultation opens on Thursday 16 April and closes at 5pm on Friday 8 May 2026.

You can access both plans in full, read more and share your feedback with our team in the following ways:

Online

yourholdfast.com/abp26-27

Mail

Draft Annual Business Plan, PO Box 19, Brighton SA 5048

Email abp@holdfast.sa.gov.au

Phone

8229 9999 during office hours

In person

• Brighton Civic Centre, 24 Jetty Road, Brighton
• Glenelg Library, 2 Colley Terrace, Glenelg
• Brighton Library, 20 Jetty Road, Brighton

Community drop-in sessions

Drop in to learn more and have a 1:1 chat with a Council team member

• Wednesday 29 April 2026 12.30 – 2pm - Brighton Library

• Wednesday 6 May 2026 5pm-6.30 pm – Glenelg Library

All feedback must be received by 5pm Friday, 8 May 2026.

You can make a deputation (verbal submission) to Council at its meeting on Tuesday 28 April 2026 (commences 7pm, Glenelg Town Hall, Moseley Square, Glenelg). Please provide notice via mail@holdfast.sa.gov.au or drop your written notice into the Brighton Civic Centre by 12pm Tuesday 28 April, if you wish to make a deputation.

While we appreciate receiving notice of your attendance, you can attend the council meeting without providing notice and still make a verbal submission.

Anyone who lives, studies, works in or visits Holdfast Bay is welcome to participate in this community consultation.

The results from this consultation will be collated and considered by Council. All personal details provided will be removed from council reports.

Council will consider all feedback at its meeting on Tuesday 26 May 2026. The final adoption of the 2026-27 Annual Business Plan and the Long Term Financial Plan 2026-27 to 2035-36 will take place at the Council meeting on Tuesday 23 June 2026.

Each year, we develop a plan and budget that sets out the programs and services we think will best meet our community’s needs.

The Long Term Financial Plan sets out 10-year financial projections that help to inform day-to-day and longer-term decision-making. It is a planning tool developed to map the city's financial sustainability into the future while meeting the needs and expectations of our community.

To fund Council’s full program of works, services, programs and renewals, the provisional rate increase for the 2026-27 financial year is 6.6%. This equates to about $134 for the average household, or $2.50 per week.

The proposed rate increase of 6.6% comprises of:

• 4.1%, which includes allowance for Adelaide CPI at December 2025 and increases in core operational costs. This will allow Council to deliver on its current program of services, renewal works and community activities and events
• 2.3% for Transforming Jetty Road, Glenelg (the final year of this increase)
• 0.2% to fund and deliver up to six community projects

Council owns and maintains a diverse asset portfolio worth more than $889 million. Each year we allocate funds to renew these assets.

In 2026–27, we’ve budgeted $11.53 million to renew important assets, maintaining the significant increase in renewal investment from last year’s Annual Business Plan.

This year, as part of the community consultation process on the Draft 2025-26 Annual Business Plan, we are asking for the community to indicate their level of support for six proposed projects that are together worth more than $589,000.

The six projects are:

• Brighton Oval Irrigation: No cost for 2026-27. A forward commitment of $195,000 for 2027-28
• School Crossings Improvements – Design $30,000 in 2026-27. $150,000 in 2027-28
• St Judes and North Brighton Cemetery Upgrades $258,000 in 2026-27
• Brighton Road Trees $427,000 in 2026-27. $925,000 in 2027-28
• Jetty Road Brighton Road Improvement Designs $120,000 in 2026-27. Approximately $500,000 in 2027-28
• Verge Incentive Program - $20,000 in 2026-27

As the six community projects are new initiatives for this coming financial year, we are seeking the community’s level of support for the projects and the 0.2% increase in rates that would be required to fund and deliver them.

Brighton Oval Irrigation: No cost for 2026-27. A forward commitment of $195,000 for 2027-28

Brighton Oval is a high-use venue, primarily hosting over 1,100 participants between football and cricket. The oval also supports usage from local schools, School Sport SA, neighbouring sports clubs, and SACA and SANFL events.

This project will deliver oval surface remediation works at Brighton Oval. These works will address issues identified by independent turf management consultants and provide new turf cricket pitch squares, irrigation, drainage and surface water movement outcomes to meet immediate and future needs at the site.

Project timing is anticipated for the summer of 2027 or 2028 and is contingent on attracting external funding. However, planning work will commence in 2026–27 to ensure the alignment of funding with end-of-life irrigation asset renewal requirements.

The proposed project extends the planned works associated with the irrigation end-of-life asset renewal. The project will also include a structured maintenance program to preserve new turf coverage and improve turf density, resulting in longer-term surface provision for all oval users.

School Crossings Improvements – Design $30,000 in 2026-27. $150,000 in 2027-28

Across the City, 10 schools have crossings that vary in design quality, visibility and suitability for current traffic conditions.

The Movement and Transport Plan identifies school crossing safety as a high priority action, recommending a structured assessment framework and targeted upgrades to support safe, active travel for children and families.

Council will undertake a comprehensive assessment of all school crossings to identify high-risk locations and prioritise infrastructure improvements.

This project will fund design work in 2026–27 for the highest priority upgrade, providing the fist stage of a long-term program to systematically improve school crossing safety across the city. Work in future years will depend on final designs

St Judes and North Brighton Cemetery Upgrades $258,000 in 2026-27

North Brighton Cemetery and St Jude’s Cemetery are historic sites that serve as important cultural and community spaces. However, there have been ongoing complaints about the tidiness and overall amenity of these spaces. Concerns include inadequate tree canopy, deteriorating internal roads, lack of landscaping along fencelines, insufficient seating, and the need for better signage, particularly around heritage areas.

Continuing work commenced in 2025–26, the proposed project will enhance the cemeteries’ aesthetics, accessibility and historical significance, transforming them into well-maintained, inviting community spaces while respecting their heritage value.

Stage one in 2025–26 has focused more on the St Judes site. Stage two in 2026–27 will focus more on North Brighton.

Brighton Road Trees $427,000 in 2026-27. $925,000 in 2027-28

The project proposes the removal of 68 ageing or high-risk trees that need to be removed and the installation of up to 106 new trees over two years.

Following storm events and State Government civil works in 2025–26, six trees have been lost from the Brighton Road median strip. A subsequent risk assessment of the remaining trees has identified the need for a planned renewal approach to ensure public safety and maintain the long-term health of the median landscape. This project will span two years and will remove the 68 trees and replace them with up to 106 new trees to increase canopy cover and enhance the visual character of the corridor.

Jetty Road Brighton Traffic Improvement Designs $120,000 in 2026-27. Approximately $500,000 in 2027-28

This project continues work undertaken for traffic improvements, including concept designs developed in 2025–26 and extensive community consultation. Jetty Road, Brighton, is scheduled for road surface renewal in 2027–28. Before this renewal occurs, it is important to ensure the street continues to function safely and effectively for all users. To this end, Council has undertaken a Road Safety Audit and functional review, which identified several opportunities to improve safety, traffic flow, pedestrian connectivity, and compliance with Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements.

During 2025–26, Council prepared the concept design options to address these issues. These concepts were presented for community consultation in March 2026.

The 2026–27 project will complete the detailed design for the preferred concept following consultation. During this period, Council will also pursue external grant funding to support future construction. The final works are dependent on attracting external funding.

Construction of the final design will align with the programmed road renewal works in 2027–28, ensuring an efficient, coordinated approach to delivering improvements.

Verge Incentive Program - $20,000 in 2026-27

Verges make up a significant proportion of public space in our urban areas and present an opportunity to improve the liveability, appearance and environmental performance of our city. Enhancing verges with water-wise, primarily local, native plants provides a wide range of benefits for both residents and the natural environment.

A trial Verge Incentive Program would help the community transform standard grass or hard surface verges into attractive, sustainable nature strips.

The project proposes to scope, design and establish a one year trial rebate program that supports residents to install water-wise, native nature strips. This would also include developing clear guidelines, information resources and community support materials to help residents participate in the program.

The six projects have been developed from known priorities in the community. This has been through differing levels of community engagement, suggestions made to Elected Members and through information gathered in delivering works and services by Council staff.

Based on the level of community support and assessment of differing priorities, Council will decide which community projects will go ahead. If Council decides not to proceed with one or more of the six projects, the 0.2% portion of the rate increase may be reduced.

New projects can be suggested for the following budget in the 2027-28 financial year.

Along with the Draft 2026-27 Annual Business Plan, Council’s Draft Long Term Financial Plan 2026-27 to 2035-36 details the approach to financial management.

The Draft Long Term Financial Plan 2026-27 to 2035-36 shows 10 years of projections and demonstrates in detail how Council delivers on its priorities while managing debt over the long term.

Council also receives detailed monthly financial reports, including its current debt management position. All these statements are publicly available on Council’s website at holdfast.sa.gov.au/council-meetings

Full details of Council’s debt position can be found on pages 21 - 22 of the Draft Long Term Financial Plan 2026-27 to 2035-36. You can provide feedback on this plan during this community consultation.

Each year, we work out how much money Council needs to operate and then divide it by the total value of all properties in the council area. This gives us the amount we need to collect for every dollar of property value, known as the rate in the dollar.

There are different rates for residential and commercial properties. In 2025-26, commercial rates were 67.3% higher than residential rates. It is proposed that this will remain the same in 2026-27.

For example, these are the rates that would be paid in 2025-26 on a property valued at $990,000 (which is the median 2025-26 residential property value).

No. If property values increase, Council decreases the rate in the dollar to ensure that the amount collected is only what is needed.

The City of Holdfast Bay has rate levels below the Adelaide metropolitan average

- LGASA Rates Survey

In 2024–25, the median residential property valuation in the City of Holdfast Bay was $985,437. The following table compares the rates if a property in other council areas had this valuation.

https://www.yourholdfast.com/download_file/view/4139/1263

Council support may be available if you’re having trouble paying your rates. We want to make sure we’re collecting rates in a compassionate, fair and financially responsible manner. That’s one of the reasons why Council decreases the rate in the dollar if property values rise – to make sure we only collect the amount we need.

More information about Council’s Financial Hardship Policy and Procedures can be found at Financial Hardship Application | City of Holdfast Bay

The Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) is tasked by the Parliament of South Australia to conduct a Local Government Advice Scheme to support councils to make financially sustainable strategic decisions in their annual business plans and budgets, in the context of their Long-Term Financial Plans (LTFP) and Infrastructure and Asset Management Plans.

In its 2025-26 review, ESCOSA found the City of Holdfast Bay Council’s historical, current and forecast financial performance to be sustainable due to operating surpluses, moderate rate increases and responsible use of borrowed funds. The Long-Term Financial Plan provides for adequate funding of asset renewals and replacement while meeting operating expenses without borrowing excessively.