On average, Victorians will pay $1309 in rates bills in 2009-10, up an average of $64, but Wyndham residents will have to fork out an extra $140.

Other councils with steep increases are Hepburn, which will climb by $97, Indigo $93 and Moira $91, while rates bills in other growth municipalities, Casey, Cardinia and Melton, will rise by $60, $46 and $29 respectively.

However, Municipal Association of Victoria president Bill McArthur said councils had been responsive to the economic downturn to ensure they maintained service levels to meet increasing community demands.

Cr McArthur said they had directed spending to initiatives that could stimulate economic development and create local jobs.

"This year, balancing responsible financial management, community expectations and affordability for ratepayers has become more complex for councils due to the financial crisis. Each municipality has adopted a variety of approaches to ensure spending delivers programs and services that support communities, while also limiting cost increases for ratepayers.

"Ratepayers are disproportionately being called upon to fund programs that should be funded through the transfer of other government taxes. Councils should not be left out of pocket."

Cr McArthur said with councils heavily reliant on funding from the state and federal governments, which was linked to CPI rather than actual costs, ratepayers were also increasingly offsetting programs such as public libraries and community care.

In May, Wyndham Mayor Shane Bourke voted against the city's proposed budget, along with deputy mayor Heather Marcus and Iramoo Ward councillor Cynthia Manson.

Cr Bourke said this year's budget was by far the most challenging of the 13 he had been involved in since 1988-89.

However, he conceded that with an average of 10,000 new residents to arrive every year for the next three decades, the council would have to deliver major infrastructure projects in advance of previous projections.