Draft Budget 2026/2027 and community sessions

The Draft Budget will be available on Engage Ararat from Friday 20 March. 

Ararat Rural City Council has released its Draft Budget 2026/2027 and is inviting community feedback from residents, businesses, and community groups across the municipality. 

The Draft Budget and a Draft Budget Snapshot will be available on engage.ararat.vic.gov.au from Friday 20 March 2026, with a community consultation roadshow commencing Monday 23 March and travelling throughout the Ararat municipality. 

Community members will have more than five weeks to review the proposals and provide feedback before Council considers the final Budget.

The 2026/2027 Draft Budget has been designed to continue building on solid foundations that keep the Council’s finances strong, services reliable, and support growth in the community, balancing fiscal responsibility with investments that meet resident needs across rural and urban areas. 

A substantial capital works program totals 15.8 million dollars, including 6.25 million dollars for Buangor‑Ben Nevis Road upgrades funded by federal programs, 1.8 million dollars to renew rural gravel roads, and 1 million dollars to seal urban gravel roads and laneways. 

Other projects include a 548,000 dollar roundabout at the Queen Moore Street intersection, 750,000 dollars for urban drainage improvements, 400,000 dollars for footpaths and cycleways, and 300,000 dollars to renew kerb and channel assets. 

Community‑focused initiatives include 200,000 dollars for Moyston Recreation Reserve public toilets, 100,000 dollars for a Pomonal Recreation Reserve walking track, 100,000 dollars in community support grants, and 100,000 dollars for youth programs through Crazy Ideas College.

The Draft Budget projects a 2.25 percent rate rise, which is 0.5 percent below the rate cap, and a comprehensive operating surplus of 4.624 million dollars alongside an underlying operating deficit of 376,000 dollars. It continues free access to outdoor pools, support for culturally and linguistically diverse families in early education, and delivery of enabling infrastructure at the Prestige Mill site to unlock housing.

“Over the past eight years we have worked hard to drive efficiencies and deliver real value to our ratepayers, and this draft budget continues that approach,” Ararat Rural City Council Mayor Bob Sanders said. “It delivers a strong capital program funded largely by grants, with a clear focus on infrastructure that supports growth and keeps our community safe.”

“Township sessions are a really important opportunity for people to ask questions and understand how the draft budget relates to their own district,” he said. “When people come along to a session, they can talk directly with Council staff about what is proposed, how particular projects have been prioritised, and what it means for their community.”

“Good budgets are built on informed conversations,” Mayor Sanders said. “We want to make it as straightforward as possible for people to take part in this process, whether that’s in person at a session or online.”

Community engagement sessions on the Draft Budget 2026/2027 will be held at the following venues: 

• Ararat Town Hall, corner of Vincent Street and Barkly Street, Ararat, on Monday 23 March 2026 at 5.30 pm; 
• Lake Bolac Info & Business Centre, 2110 Glenelg Highway, Lake Bolac, on Monday 23 March 2026 at 1.30 pm; 
• Pomonal Community Hall, 3360 Ararat‑Halls Gap Road, Pomonal, on Tuesday 24 March 2026 at 11.00 am; 
• Moyston Community Hall, 12 Brooke Street, Moyston, on Tuesday 24 March 2026 at 1.00 pm; 
• Willaura Memorial Hall, 93 Main Street, Willaura, on Tuesday 24 March 2026 at 3.00 pm; 
• Buangor Cobb & Co, 196 Coach Road, Buangor, on Wednesday 25 March 2026 at 10.30 am; 
• Mechanics Institute, High Street, Elmhurst, on Wednesday 25 March 2026 at 3.30 pm; and 
• Tatyoon Hall, 2728 Tatyoon Road, Tatyoon, on Thursday 26 March 2026 at 12.00 pm. 

For community members who cannot attend a township session, Council will host a drop‑in session at the Ararat Rural City Council offices, 59 Vincent Street, Ararat, on Friday 27 March 2026 from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm, where staff will be available to answer questions and help people provide feedback on the Draft Budget.

• Council invites submissions until 24 April 2026 at 5pm via engage.ararat.vic.gov.au, email to [email protected], or post to PO Box 246, Ararat VIC 3377. 
• Community engagement sessions are scheduled from 23 to 27 March 2026 at venues including Ararat Town Hall, Buangor Cobb & Co, and Pomonal Community Hall.
• ​Submissions will close Friday 24 April 2026 at 5:00pm.
• A final draft of the Budget 2026/2027 is expected to be presented to the Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday 26 May 2026.