Ararat Rural City records strong 2026 community satisfaction results
Ararat Rural City Council has welcomed the results of the 2026 Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey, which show residents continue to rate Council’s overall performance above comparable councils across Victoria.
Council achieved an overall performance index score of 64 out of 100, higher than the Small Rural group average of 60 and the overall state-wide average of 57.
The Victorian Community Satisfaction Survey (CSS) creates a vital interface between the council and their community. Held annually, the CSS asks the opinions of local people about the place they live, work and play and provides confidence for councils in their efforts and abilities. Council thanks all residents who took the time to participate in the 2026 survey and share their views.
Key highlights include:
• Strong performance in art centres and libraries (index score 77)
• High ratings for emergency and disaster management, and recreational facilities (both 74)
• Customer service index of 72, in line with recent years and comparable councils.
CEO Dr Tim Harrison said the results confirm that Council is delivering solid outcomes for the community. “These results tell us that our community recognises the work we are doing in key service areas, especially our libraries, arts, recreation facilities, and emergency management,” Dr Harrison said. “It is encouraging feedback, and it reinforces our commitment to keep improving the everyday services people rely on.”
Our lowest-performing areas – unsealed roads, roadside slashing and weed control, and planning and building permits – will be important considerations as we move forward, and we are pleased that in each of these sectors our performance remains on par with, or better than, the council average. The survey also identified a need for more work on how Council informs the community and explains decisions.
“When people tell you they want to better understand how and why decisions are made, you have a responsibility to respond,” Dr Harrison said. “Over the next year we will sharpen our focus on communication and transparency, and we’ll continue to create more opportunities for residents to be part of the conversation via our Community drop-in sessions, Engage Ararat website and – of course – our friendly Customer Service team at Vincent Street.”
Residents placed very high importance on the condition of sealed and unsealed roads, local streets and footpaths, and roadside slashing and weed control, and Council acknowledges that these areas will remain a focus.
“Managing a large road network with finite resources is a challenge for every rural council,” Dr Harrison said. “We are very proud of our track record and we will continue to plan our works carefully, and advocate for funding, so we can target the areas that matter most.”
The full 2026 Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey report for Ararat Rural City Council is available on Council’s website: https://www.ararat.vic.gov.au/council/council-documents/community-satisfaction-surveys
