Budget
Ararat Rural City Council's 2025/2026 Budget was adopted by Council on Tuesday 27 May 2025.
During April and May 2025, a series of community engagement sessions were held in Ararat, Buangor, Elmhurst, Lake Bolac, Moyston, Pomonal, Tatyoon and Willaura.
The Draft Budget highlights Council’s commitment to strong financial management, high-quality services, and on-time completion of projects through focusing on service delivery and capital works programs, and in-house service provision.
Council's 2025/2026 Budget represents a continuation of Council’s financially responsible approach that has been in place taken over the past seven budget cycles. The headlines of the 2025/2026 Budget continue to revolve around returning an efficiency dividend to the community through a minimal rate rise and an ongoing dedication to renewing the community’s assets through a $12,437,000 investment in capital works.
Key elements of Council’s 2025/2026 Budget are:
Capital Works Program:
- $2.32 million – Road Reconstruction Program
- $1.8 million – Gravel Road Re-sheeting
- $1.49 million – Covered Sports Arena for Ararat Pony Club
- $1 million – Buangor-Ben Nevis Road reconstruction
- $1 million – Urban Road and Laneway Sealing
- $1 million – Road Reseals
- $750,000 – Urban Drainage
- $683,000 – Woorndoo-Streatham Road reconstruction
- $550,000 – Community Projects
- $400,000 – Footpaths and Cycleways
- $400,000 – Bridge Renewal Program
- $300,000 – Kerb and Channel Renewal Program
New or significant projects:
- $1,490,000 secured in grant funding for a new covered sports arena for the Ararat Pony Club
- $683,000 contribution towards the Woorndoo-Streatham Road reconstruction project
- $500,000 contribution to an ongoing partnership commitment to Ararat Housing Enterprise P/L.
- $148,760 Pomonal Community Hall Battery Project, supported by the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries grants program
- $133,000 Council contribution towards a $399,000 upgrade of the Ararat Active Transport Bicycle Network
- $100,000 for young people’s programs across schools, largely through the Crazy Ideas College
- $100,000 of grant funding secured for a new dog park in Ararat
- $60,000 secured for repair works to the former Cobb & Co Staging Stables in Buangor
- $1,000,000 to reconstruct a section of Buangor – Ben Nevis Road, on top of the $2,143,000 previous reconstruction works on this road