While Council's above-state-wide averages in the 2024 Community Satisfaction Survey were reported last week, the raw data from the survey has now been shared amongst Councillors at this month's Council Meeting, and is now publicly available to view on Council's website.
In a score which is indexed out of 100, Ararat Rural City Council's overall performance sits at 65 - more than 10 points higher than the state-wide average (54) and a full 12 points higher than the average for other small rural councils (53).
Council's best-performing areas are, according to the 400 residents surveyed, Arts Centres and Libraries (78% satisfaction), Emergency and Disaster Management (76), and Waste Management (74).
"We're starting to get some fairly high scores," commented Ararat Rural City Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison. "In the private sector, 85% satisfaction would be seen as a mark of excellence. Given that we charge people taxes, and we deliver services that aren't always popular, I think that as we start to score in the high 70s, we can be happy with that.
"Having said that," he continued, "we can never be good enough. We have to keep striving to improve our performance every year. So although it's really good to see a consistently strong performance in the Community Satisfaction Survey, this is no time to rest on our laurels. We've got to keep getting better at what we do, and deliver better value to our community - that's what we need to achieve."
Cr Henry Burridge added: "It's an extremely pleasing set of numbers that have been achieved this year. The interesting thing is to tie this in with the zero rate increase. Often that's synonymous, in people's minds, with a decrease in service provision. [The survey] is clearly demonstrating that the majority of people don't see it that way, and that we've still managed to hold a really high service level. I think the efforts of Council staff need to be congratulated, because they're the ones that implement these measures, and I think that needs to be acknowledged."
"Further to that," added Deputy Mayor Jo Armstrong, "I think it's a reflection of our community being really appreciative of the efforts that are being made. It's a community that is responding to the effort that's being made, and they're noticing a real difference. I know a lot of people don't like participating in surveys, so I'd like to thank the 400 who did actually answer the phone and go through the whole process.
"Of course it's conducted independently; Council has no influence. So it's a very authentic reflection of the difference that this organisation's been making over a number of years, and to be 10 points above comparison with other small rural LGAs is a truly phenomenal effort. So thank you very much to the CEO and all the council staff who have put in the effort."
Said Mayor Bob Sanders, "I take this opportunity to thank every one of them for their great work."
