City status | Community questions

Public communication (community consultation) costs

Council has allocated $15,000 to allow for staff to investigate a potential change in designation for the shire to become a city. This includes information gathering and community consultation. This process is still underway, therefore some costs are known and some costs are still estimates.

• Mail out to ratepayers (sorting, printing, packing and coordination): (Actual) $4493.72
• Postage cost: To be advised
• Design and printing of general communication materials, website updates, drop in session logistics, and development of information items for display: These tasks are carried out internally by Shire Officers as part of business as usual, at no additional cost
• Associated administrative costs: These tasks are carried out by Shire Officers as part of their regular roles, at no additional cost.

Drop in session costs

*Catering includes tea, coffee, sugar, milk and refreshments per session 

Branding costs 

There are two options for updated branding that could be considered.

1. In-house: We maintain our existing logo graphic element. Our marketing team update only the name, using the current brand guidelines. Cost - nil, considered part of their everyday role
2. We source a brand refresh through an external provider, including development of a new concept, logo design, and style guide. (Estimated) $18,000.

 Signage Costs

These costs are estimates. Actual costs would be dependent on price rates at the time of updating the signs.

• Replacement of six name signs at the Harvey and Australind administration centres: around $6,500.
• Replacement of seven Local Government Area boundary signs:

1. $1,400 manufacture and installation per sign
2. $13,000 for associated traffic management across all sites.

This would work out to around $22,800.

All other rebranding and replacement

To minimise costs, updates to uniforms, stationery and signage would be made gradually, only when these items are due for replacement as part of normal business operations. This approach ensures there are no additional costs.

Administrative costs

Shire staff would continue in their existing roles unchanged if the Shire were to become a City. There would be no cost impact on the administration of the Shire.

It is anticipated that the total cost, including consultation, signage, and branding will not exceed $56,000.

There will be no cost associated with policy updates. The Shire already has an obligation to regularly review its local laws and policies, and this will not change.

There will be no ongoing or annual costs to the Shire. There will be no increase in councillor pay or superannuation resulting from reclassification to City status. Nor will there be any new staff roles created because of the reclassification to City status if it occurs. The number of staff employed by the Shire is dependant on the level of services that are provided to residents. As the Shire’s population grows, the amount of people who use the Shire’s services also grows, creating demand for additional staff. This is totally independent on whether the Shire remains a Shire or becomes a City.

City status does not alter the amount that Councillors, the CEO or other shire staff are paid.

The maximum amount that Councillors and the CEO can be paid are determined by the “Band” within which a local government sits. The Shire of Harvey is currently a “Band 2” Local Government.

Staff salaries are determined by the CEO or through the Shire’s Enterprise Agreement with staff and are based on:

• The complexity of the role
• The qualifications and experience of the person. 

The band within which a Local Government sits are determined by the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal and is dependent on:

• Population size
• Complexity of the local government area

Most local governments that are designated as Cities are classified as Band 1.

However, several are classified as Band 2. Band 2 Cities include:

• City of Nedlands – population 25,104
• City of South Perth – population 47,909
• City of Subiaco – population 19,452
• City of Vincent – population 41,479

Yes. Any potential City status is totally unrelated to rates.

Local Government Councils set rates as a part of their annual budget cycle.  Rates are raised to fund expected increases in expenditure within this framework.

How local governments are funded

Local governments have three sources of funding:

1. Rates levied on properties. These are used to maintain services to the community.
2. Grant funding sourced from State and Commonwealth Governments. These are used primarily for road upgrades and to subsidise other services provided by the local government to its community. Local governments may also obtain additional grant funding from governments or other funding bodies such as LotteryWest.  These are usually for specific purposes such as capital works projects.
3. Fees and charges levied for services. This includes things like membership fees to recreation centres.

The amount of grant funding that a local government receives is dependent on:

• The ability of the local government to raise funds itself
• The amount of funds it requires to maintain services to its community.

Information on how much a local government receives in State and Commonwealth Government assistance grants can be found on the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety website.

Financial Assistance Grants | LGIRS

Reasons for rates increases

Rate increases are normally related to increases in the cost of fuel, electricity, wages and other costs incurred by the local government during the year.

Rate increases may also be necessary to raise the funds to undertake capital works projects to improve services to the community. Grant funding bodies often provide only a percentage of the cost of these works.

 The costs of reclassification to city status are not significant in terms of the Shire’s budget. If the reclassification were to go ahead, they will not impact the amount residents pay in shire rates.

No.

We would still be classified as a regional local government that is located outside of the metropolitan area.

For example, people living in the City of Busselton and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are considered to live in regional areas.

There are no programs, grants or economic initiatives planned to be introduced because of any reclassification.

While increased status and influence may provide additional funding opportunities, any programs funded by the Shire would necessarily involve increases to Shire rates to fund these programs.

Any programs conducted by local governments are subject to review by Council.

Disadvantages of moving to city status may include:

• A potential loss of rural identity. Some people may feel a strong connection to the Shire of Harvey  and it's longstanding "country town" feel.
• Minor cost impact - please see previous questions for a breakdown of the costs.

Ratepayers are likely to see very little change in the first two years as funding cycles are commonly over longer periods.

However, in the longer term, the increased ability of a City Status could influence State decisions, which is likely to afford residents and ratepayers increased benefits.

There will be no change to governance or council operations, nor will this lead to any increases in council or staff responsibilities or costs.

No governance or staffing changes are legally required.

The Shire of Harvey does not currently have any wards, and none would be proposed if reclassification to City status occurred.

Under reforms to the Local Government Act 1995, local governments with a population between 5000 and 75,000 members will have between 5 and 9 members. Our population is 31,495. City status will not impact our Councillor numbers.

Rural representation will not be affected by a change in classification.

We recognise that most of our geographical areas are rural communities, existing alongside urban communities. Whether our identity as a wider community is urban, rural, or both – shire or city – is an important question, and one for the community to decide as we grow and evolve together.

It is important to note that the urban population of the Shire continues to grow more strongly than the population in more rural areas, largely through expansion of Treendale and Australind. This means the proportion of urban to rural people will continue to change over time.

However, this will occur independent of any potential change in classification.

Project timeline

The consultation timeline goes from February to May 2026:

• Community consultation: 5 February 2026 - 13 March 2026
• Development of community consultation report: March-April 2026
• Report presented to Council: May 2026 Ordinary Council Meeting

Once community consultation has been completed, Council will receive a report at the May 2026 Ordinary Meeting of Council and will decide whether to proceed, or not to proceed, with an application for a change in classification.

If Council resolves to proceed with an application, the timeline for assessing that application and giving a response will be determined by the Minister for Local Government.

If a name change is proposed, the Local Government Advisory Board will additionally determine how long it needs to report to the Minister.

The City of Kalamunda process took approximately two years from commencement of the process until reclassification was finalised.

Statutory requirements and state government approvals

If a decision was made to become a city, the process would depend on which of the following options was preferred:

1. Keep the current name (e.g., City of Harvey)
2. Change the name to something else (e.g., City of …)

Keep the current name

If the proposal is for the Shire of Harvey to become the City of Harvey, an application is made directly to the Minister for Local Government. The Shire’s proposal must include current population data from the Government Statistician appointed under the Statistics Act 1907 (ss.2.4(6) Local Government Act 1995).

However, based on a previous application for City status made by the City of Kalamunda, the Minister may request the following additional information to inform their decision, including:

• Evidence of community consultation on the proposed change
• Evidence of community consultation on the cost of implementing the proposed change

If the proposal is successful, the Minister for Local Government will recommend that the shire changes its designation to city. This change is then made by the Governor’s Order (ss.2.4(2)).

Change the name to something else

The process to change the name of a local government is set out in Sections 2.1. and 2.2., and Schedules 2.1 and 2.2 of the Local Government Act 1995.

A name change is independent of the proposal to change designation from a Shire to a City. The process to change the name to anything other than the City of Harvey is as follows:

The proposed name must be submitted to the Local Government Advisory Board.

The Local Government Advisory Board will assess the application for a new name. They will consider things like:

• Community interests
• Physical and topographic features
• Demographic trends
• Economic factors
• History of the area
• Transport and communication
• The viability of local government
• The effective delivery of government services
• Other relevant matters

After making enquiries, the Local Government Advisory Board will provide a report to the Minister for Local Government with a recommendation. This may be one of the following:

• Accept the proposal
• Reject the proposal
• A different recommendation

If the Local Government Advisory Board recommends that the name change be approved, the Minister for Local Government can make a recommendation to the Governor of Western Australia on the proposed name change.

Note: The Local Government Advisory Board will also require that the Local Government has consulted with its local community regarding the proposed name change.

Public consultation will take place through community drop in sessions and a community survey, as advertised here.

The drop-in sessions are an opportunity to speak direct to councillors and senior staff about city status, ask questions and share your views in person. Having face to face conversations with your elected representatives is a valuable way to keep them informed about the views of the community, as well as to ask questions and seek clarification.

To ensure your submission is recorded, we encourage everyone to put your views in writing by completing a survey.

Surveys will be available online, in paper form at Shire venues, and at the drop-in sessions.

All formal submissions that are made will:

• Be reported to Council
• Form an attachment with a summary of submissions to the Council report.

The report and attachments will be made publicly available through the publishing of the Council agenda, as will the results of the community survey. This information will also be forwarded to the Minister for Local Government if Council elects to proceed with an application.

All formal submissions that are made will:

• Be reported to Council
• Form an attachment with a summary of submissions to the Council report.

The report and attachments will be made publicly available through the publishing of the Council agenda, as will the results of the community survey.

This information will also be forwarded to the Minister for Local Government if Council elects to proceed with an application.

The most effective way to ensure your feedback is heard and received is to fill out a community survey. The survey will be live from 16 February to 13 March, and available online. Paper copies will be additionally available at your local library, CRC, or Shire Office.

Recording a question or concern

For any question or concern to be logged, it must be written. There will be three ways for this to happen at the community drop-in sessions:

• Filling out a survey
• Completing a form at a "questions and comments" station at the session
• Ask a Shire officer for help with logging a question or comment

Please note that we appreciate there will be many individual conversations happening. The content of these conversations is considered private until such time as the people involved choose to log their feedback via one of the methods above.

Addressing question and concerns

The Shire undertakes to provide accurate, clear and accessible responses to the submissions made at the drop-in sessions. All questions and answers will be included in the consultation report to Council, which will be publicly available on our website when the item goes to the May 2026 Ordinary Council Meeting. 

Feedback to the broader community

This page (Community Questions) has been created as a central forum to share responses to questions coming in from the community. This page will be updated to include responses to relevant questions not already covered here, and the author of the question advised when their question is included.

There is no link between land use planning, rezoning or any other form of land development and a potential change to City status.

Land use planning and development is controlled by the Minister for Planning and Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) under the Planning and Development Act 2005.