The council's 2016-17 budget, approved this week, shows income from garbage fees to reach $8.439 million up from $8.168 million.

After expenses, including $3.841 million in contractual payments to garbage firm Cleanaway, the council is tipping a $4.254 million surplus.

Wodonga Council's director of business services Trevor Ierino tied the 3.2 per cent increase in garbage fee cash, up from a 0.7 per cent increase the previous financial year, to two factors.

They were more bins being collected as a result of population growth and a 2.5 per cent rise in waste charges.

 “We could have done a higher than CPI charge on the waste, we chose not to,” Mr Ierino said.

“We went with the same figures.”

Like all Victorian councils, Wodonga was issued with a 2.5 per cent rates cap for the 2016-17 financial year.

Mr Ierino said although charges were not subject to the cap, the council had a policy of not being excessive with fee settings.

“What we do do with rates and charges is that we monitor them for how well they're recovering their costs,” Mr Ierino said.

“People choose to use that service and if we don't recover our costs for that service it means that people that chose to use that service aren't paying for the full cost, so other ratepayers who have no involvement in that transaction have to cross-subsidy it.

“The reality is most of them are cross-subsidised.”

The $4 million surplus generated through waste charges is spent on the environment, street sweeping, cigarette disposal bins and landfill rehabilitation.

While most charges have risen between 2 and 6 per cent, Arts Space Wodonga costs have skyrocketed.

Commercial and government operators who want to hire the gallery for the day face a 213 per cent increase to $500 and half-day hire for them has jumped 127 per cent to $250.

Community not-for-profit users of Arts Space will now pay $200 for day hire, up 74 per cent, and individual and groups staging exhibitions will pay $450 and $550 respectively, up 62 and 51 per cent.

Parking tickets for exceeding time limits, being in a no-parking area, not paying a fee and being outside a bay will rise by $2 to $76.

The fine for an unsterilised and/or unmicrochipped cat or dog will lift $6 to $144.

While most charges are on the rise, community organisations wanting to hire the kitchen at Belgrade Avenue, Baranduda and Felltimber Creek community centres are in for a pleasant result.

The fee will decrease by 70 per cent from $23.30 to $7.