FAQs

A great way to get funding for your community group is through our grants program. Council shares Round Information Sheets  on the Grants Webpage, which include open and close dates. You can view our grants program webpage here.

Our Small Grants Program is open all year round. Medium Grants are available twice a year, with the first round opening in February/March and the second round in July/August. Large Grants open every two years, and this year, they will be available in July/August for multi-year projects starting in July 2026.

For further support, you can also contact our grants team at 8571 1432 or commgrants@cgd.vic.gov.au. Language support is available.

The new streetlights on Villiers Road (out the front of the Keysborough Community Hub) will be installed mid-August 2025. Temporary lighting has been placed on Villiers Road to provide lighting until the new streetlights are installed

There is no food or drink vending machine at the Hub. While early planning documents included space for a self-service vending machine, that space is now fully occupied by the self-serve library book vending machine (so you can pick up the books that you’ve reserved).

There is a self-service tea point located nearby, where you can make yourself a coffee or tea. Please BYO cup.

Looking ahead, planning is underway for café or coffee cart options both inside and outside the Hub. An Expression of Interest is expected to be released to the community in early October.

The works on the lake were carried out on behalf of Melbourne Water. The fence was erected to allow for the establishment of the grass/vegetation and continues to remain as Melbourne Water now need to negotiate a hand over process with Council (as we will take on the maintenance of some of these assets).

Council has completed everything from our end and are awaiting handover.

You can contact our customer service at (03) 8571 1000 or email them at council@cgd.vic.gov.au (or visit us at Parkmore!) They will then allocate your case to our Infrastructure Services for an arborist to investigate.

The ESVF is a state government levy collected by Council to fund Victoria’s emergency services (Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES), Triple Zero Victoria, Emergency Management Victoria, the State Control Centre, Forest Fire Management Victoria and Emergency Recovery Victoria, as well as the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Fire Rescue Victoria). It replaces the old Fire Services Property Levy and includes both a fixed and variable charge based on your property’s value. Council does not control this levy, but eligible pensioners and volunteers may receive concessions or rebates.

The Keysborough South Maintenance Levy is a $350 annual levy applied to properties within specific estates in Keysborough South. It was introduced when these estates were first developed to fund the maintenance of their enhanced public spaces, which include:

• Larger landscaped areas (around 20% open space vs the usual 5%)
• Native vegetation preservation
• Infrastructure not covered by Council’s standard capital works budget

Only properties within the original levy boundary (defined in the development agreements) are charged. Homes outside these estates are not subject to the levy.

Since its introduction, the levy amount has remained unchanged, even as maintenance costs and service expectations have grown. Council continues to deliver landscaping, irrigation, and capital upgrades funded by the levy. As part of ongoing budget reviews, Council may consider adjustments to ensure the sustainability of these services.

For more information, see Keysborough South Maintenance Levy FAQs.

Rate capping was introduced in 2016 to limit how much councils can increase their general rates and municipal charges each year. It applies to the total amount of money a council collects from all ratepayers (not to individual bills).

The maximum percentage increase is set each year by the Minister for Local Government. For the 2025-26 financial year, the rate cap is 3%.

Rate capping applies to the total amount of money a Council can collect (not to each individual property).

To make the maths easy, let’s say Council set a total budget of $10 million last year for rates. If the rate cap is 3% this year and Council decides to utilise the full 3%, then the total amount Council can collect would be $10.3 million.

But how much you pay depends on your share of the total value of all properties in the City of Greater Dandenong. If your property value goes up more than others, your share increases. Therefore, you pay more.

Still a bit confusing?

Think of the budget like a cake. Each year, the cake only gets a little bigger depending on the rate cap. You’re paying for a slice of that cake through your rates. But how big your slice is depends on how valuable your property is compared to everyone else’s

Every year, all properties are revalued by an independent valuer (Valuer-General Victoria, not Council!) The average increase is then overall change in property values across our city. For example, if the average increase was 5%, that means the total value of all properties went up by 5% on average.

Now let’s compare your property to that average:

If your property’s value went up more than 5%, it increased more than that average. That means your property makes up a larger share of the city’s total property value, so you pay a larger share of the total rates.

On the other hand, if your property’s value went up less than 5%, or didn’t go up at all, it increased less than the average. That means your property makes up a smaller share of the total value. Therefore, you end up paying a smaller share of the total rates.

Here’s an example:

• Last year, your house was worth $500,000.
• This year, it’s worth $550,000 –> a 10% increase.
• But the average increase across the city was 5%.

Your property increased more than average, so your share of the total rates pie is now larger, even though the total pie only grew by 3% due to rate capping.

For more information on this project and stage details, please visit: Perry Road Construction and Widening – Greens Road to Atlantic Drive, Keysborough | Greater Dandenong Council

Major works have been completed, finishing works are taking place including wearing course, lighting works and landscape works which are on track to be completed by June. The remaining works will be short term and low traffic impact. Keys Road will remain open to through traffic throughout the remainder or the Stage 2 works.

Source: David Fice, Chief Engineer & Major Projects

The best method is to call Council at (03) 8571 1000, including afterhours as you are more likely to get an immediate response and quicker action. However, there are other ways you can report illegal parking:

• Through Snap Send Solve
• Filling out this form on our website
• Emailing roadsafety@cgd.vic.gov.au

The City of Greater Dandenong does not currently provide residential parking permits within the municipality.   Benchmarking exercises have been undertaken to inform Councils parking strategies and plans, including research into the tools utilised to address parking issues common to the municipality.

Key findings with regards to residential parking permits included:

• Residential parking permit schemes typically increase parking levels on street
• Many Councils with residential parking permit schemes in place are removing these / phasing them out
• Most residential parking permit schemes operate in areas where there are a significantly greater number of dwellings than on street parking spaces, and not all residents are eligible (often only dwellings with no on-site parking will be eligible for a permit)
• Most residential parking permit schemes are provided only at moderate / high cost to residents
• On selling of permits to nearby businesses is a significant concern for Councils with permit schemes in place
• The experience for residential visitors in locations where permit schemes are present is poor

Within Greater Dandenong we have effectively managed the impacts of all day parking associated with other uses (stations, businesses, hospitals etc.) through other means.  This typically involves the introduction of timed parking restrictions such as 2P parking during the day.  This generally does not significantly impact residents who can still park overnight and at weekends.  All day parking associated with other uses is moved from the street providing significantly increased availability for residential visitors or residents needing to park on street for short periods.  Such restrictions have been installed successfully on many streets within the precinct around the hospital and Chisolm.

Our officers would be very happy to discuss similar changes on any other streets in the area with residents directly.

Source: Sanjay Manivasagasivam, Executive Director City Futures

If a bird swoops you during spring, it’s simply trying to protect its nest and the chicks inside it. While it can be a bit scary, this behaviour is temporary and usually stops once the chicks leave the nest.

The best thing to do is stay calm and move quickly through the area. Do not run as sudden movements can make birds more defensive. If you can, try to avoid the area altogether. If that’s not possible, wearing a hat or using an umbrella can help protect your head. Cyclists should always wear a helmet.

It’s important to report the location to Wildlife Victoria so others can be made aware and Council can monitor the area. If you’re particularly concerned about swooping in a busy area, you can also contact Council and request an assessment for warning signage to be installed.

Please don’t disturb or destroy the nest, as this can increase swooping and cause stress to the bird. And above all, please don’t hurt the bird! It’s just doing its job as a parent.