The unavoidable arithmetic in Council’s Draft 2026/27 Budget is that day-to-day operations are no longer being funded by day-to-day revenue. But there’s lots to appreciate. Council secured $63.9 million in grant funding for infrastructure recovery, and the sewer fund is largely self-funded. The line-item detail allows the community to properly scrutinise the numbers. Transparency matters. But here’s the thing: the internal general fund has dropped 25 per cent in a single year.