Results from the 2025 Community Satisfaction Survey show Ararat Rural City Council has scored above the state-wide average across every performance measure.
Council has an overall performance score of 64 out of 100 points, significantly outperforming the state-wide average of 53 by 11 points, and exceeding the average of other small rural councils (54 points) by 10 points.
According to the 400 residents surveyed, Council's highest performing service areas are Arts Centres and Libraries (75 points), Emergency and Disaster Management (75 points), and Waste Management (73 points).
The annual survey took place from 28 January through to mid-March 2025, and was conducted by research agency National Field Service, who were commissioned by Local Government Victoria (LGV) to conduct the survey on Council's behalf.
The survey is part of a state-wide initiative, with similar surveys being conducted concurrently across other Victorian councils and aims to gather valuable comprehensive insights from residents to enhance service delivery.
"We've outperformed the state average in every measure this year, which is a truly impressive achievement for a small rural council," said Ararat Rural City Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison.
"It's especially encouraging to see a whole range of measures in the 70s, with some even 10 points ahead of state averages. While we're performing extremely well compared to the rest of the state, and other small rural councils, we recognise there's still a long way to go before we are where we need to be."
The full Community Satisfaction Survey results are now available on Council's website.
