Roxburgh Park Ballot Measures Explained: What Gets Decided, and When Residents Will Feel the Results

Roxburgh Park residents will vote on three separate ballot measures at the scheduled municipal poll on 14 September 2026, with the earliest policy changes expected to take effect inside 90 days of a confirmed result. The measures cover a dedicated transport infrastructure levy, extended operating hours for the Roxburgh Park Community Hub on Rosebud Avenue, and a revised residential waste collection fee structure. Each measure requires a simple majority to pass, and the local electoral commission confirmed on 2 July that all three had cleared the signature and eligibility thresholds required to appear on the ballot.

The timing matters because the municipal budget cycle closes on 30 November 2026. Any measure that passes on 14 September gives the local council enough lead time to incorporate approved spending or fee changes into the 2027 financial year estimates before that deadline. Measures that fail will not appear on the ballot again for at least 24 months under the standing referendum rules, meaning a 'no' vote in September locks the current arrangements in place until at least late 2028.

What Each Measure Would Actually Change

The transport levy measure, if approved, would add a flat annual charge to residential property assessments, with the levy rate set in the measure's text at 0.3 percent of the assessed land value for residential properties and 0.5 percent for commercial lots. The funds would be quarantined specifically for resurfacing works on the 14 kilometres of local roads currently rated 'poor' or 'very poor' in the council's 2025 Infrastructure Condition Report. Residents living on Broadmeadows Road and the surrounding collector streets would likely see the first physical works beginning in the second quarter of 2027, the council's capital works schedule projects.

The community hub measure is narrower. It proposes extending the Rosebud Avenue facility's weekday opening hours from the current close of 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and adding a Saturday morning session from 8 a.m. to noon. The measure's supporting documentation, lodged with the electoral commission on 18 June, cites a 2024 resident survey in which 61 percent of respondents said current closing times conflicted with after-work access. No new staff positions are created by the measure; the operating plan submitted alongside it relies on a combination of existing casual staff and a volunteer coordinator arrangement.

The waste levy measure would shift the current flat annual fee of $180 per household to a three-tier system based on bin size: $140 for the 80-litre option, $180 for the standard 120-litre bin, and $230 for the 240-litre family bin. The change is projected to reduce costs for roughly a third of households while increasing them for the smallest share who currently use the large bin, according to the council's own modelling published in May 2026.

The Timeline Residents Should Mark on Their Calendars

The electoral commission will mail out postal vote packs to all enrolled residents from 25 August. Completed ballots must be received, not just postmarked, by 5 p.m. on 14 September. Results are expected to be declared formally within five business days, placing the announcement around 21 September. From that date, a 28-day challenge window opens during which any resident may lodge a formal objection with the commission on procedural grounds.

Assuming no successful challenge, the council is required under its own standing orders to hold an implementation resolution vote at its next ordinary meeting after the challenge period closes. The next scheduled ordinary meeting falls on 28 October 2026. Any passed measures would then enter a drafting and gazettal process, with legal instruments expected to be finalised by 30 November, aligning with the budget deadline. Residents can track each stage through the Roxburgh Park Electoral Commission's public notice register, which is updated every Monday.