Ballarat
City · Latest data: 2023-24 · Source: VLGGC Questionnaire · Rates vs Services → · Report Card →
Total Expenditure
$220.5m
2023-24
Capital Works
$100.3m
45.5% of expenditure
Governance Spend
$42,110,343
Local Roads Spend
$31,076,837
Governance / Roads
1.36x
spending more on itself
State Rank (Expenditure)
#18
of 79 councils
State avg expenditure: $147.1m
This council: $220.5m
State avg capital: $44.4m
This council: $100.3m
Per Capita (population: 117,006, 2023)
Expenditure / Resident
$1,885
Capital / Resident
$857
Governance / Resident
$360
Roads / Resident
$266
Expenditure Trend (9 Years)
Capital Works by Function (2023-24)
Expenditure by Function Over Time
Service Performance (ESC Rate Capping Outcomes)
Community Satisfaction
0.5
State avg: 0.5
#57 of 78
Roads Condition
1.0%
State avg: 1.0%
Bins Missed / 10k
10.9
State avg: 6.3
Employee Costs / Capita
$684
State avg: $915
Asset Renewal vs Depreciation
1.7%
running down assets
Satisfaction & Roads Condition
Employee Costs Per Capita & Bins Missed
Performance Indicators (LGPRF 2024-25)
Efficiency
2 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2 | Expenses per property assessment | 3980.3 | 4166.8 | ▲ |
| Council says: This indicator has increased in 2025 as a result of costs increasing at a greater rate than property assessments. This is the product of a downturn in development growth and increasing materials and services expenses, and increased costs associated with … | ||||
| E4 | Average rate per property assessment | 2086.2 | 1951.9 | ▲ |
Governance
5 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Council decisions made at meetings closed to the public | 0.1 | 0.1 | ▲ |
| Council says: All tenders are put into the public resolutions of Council, factors such as meeting procedures and contracts committee will impact the number of resolutions made in the closed to the public sessions. Council continues its commitment to strong transparency making … | ||||
| G2 | Satisfaction with community consultation and engagement | 48.0 | 55.0 | — |
| G3 | Councillor attendance at council meetings | 1.0 | 0.9 | ▼ |
| G4 | Cost of elected representation | 57586.1 | 62511.3 | ▼ |
| Council says: Councillor allowances are independently reviewed and generally increased annually. This review is now undertaken by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal. Costs include relevant professional development, events and travel. | ||||
| G5 | Satisfaction with council decisions | 46.0 | 54.0 | — |
| Council says: This outcome is comparable with the results for Victoria and regional centres which averaged 48 for this measure. | ||||
Roads
5 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Sealed local road requests | 50.8 | 58.2 | ▼ |
| Council says: The improvement in this measure from the prior years is believed to be due to several factors including an increased focus on resheeting & major patching programs, proactive inspections providing a list of road defects for maintenance, and drier conditions … | ||||
| R2 | Sealed local roads maintained to condition standards | 1.0 | 1.0 | — |
| R3 | Cost of sealed local road reconstruction | 172.9 | 132.1 | ▼ |
| R4 | Cost of sealed local road resealing | 13.1 | 19.9 | ▲ |
| Council says: Cost associated with the completion of Annual Resealing program with average costs impacted by the mix of works completed. For 2025 the bituminous road resurfacing contracts saw an increase in rates compared to prior years, with the size of the … | ||||
| R5 | Satisfaction with sealed local roads | 40.0 | 50.5 | ▲ |
| Council says: There has been a strong focus on Council's road infrastructure and asphalting works in recent budgets to address community satisfaction in this area. Increased investment over the last few years and drier conditions have resulted in improved community satisfaction with … | ||||
Statutory Planning
4 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP1 | Time taken to decide planning applications | 91.0 | 72.3 | ▼ |
| SP2 | Planning applications decided within required time frames | 0.8 | 0.7 | ▲ |
| SP3 | Cost of statutory planning service | 4733.7 | 3907.9 | ▼ |
| Council says: The increased service cost corresponds with improved performance outcomes, enabled by enhanced resourcing that facilitated a higher volume of applications being processed within the required timeframes. | ||||
| SP4 | Council planning decisions upheld at VCAT | 0.7 | 0.6 | ▼ |
| Council says: Of the 11 planning decisions escalated to VCAT during the period, 3 were set aside and 8 were varied or affirmed. The percentage rate is not necessarily a reflection of failures at VCAT as matters set aside are an indication … | ||||
Waste Collection
4 indicators ▾
| ID | Indicator | Result | State Avg | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC2 | Kerbside collection bins missed | 12.3 | 6.3 | ▼ |
| Council says: Number of bins missed per ten thousand has remained fairly consistent around 0.1% of scheduled bin lifts. | ||||
| WC3 | Cost of kerbside garbage bin collection service | 179.5 | 145.4 | ▲ |
| WC4 | Cost of kerbside recyclables collection service | 51.4 | 76.8 | ▲ |
| Council says: Recycling processing costs and the operating costs for kerbside collection have increased from the previous year. | ||||
| WC5 | Kerbside collection waste diverted from landfill | 0.4 | 0.5 | — |
| Council says: This measure has remained steady since the introduction of the Pass on Glass service reduced the volume of material in kerbside recycling bins. The introduction of the container deposit scheme (CDS) in 2023 has seen a reduction in returnable items … | ||||