“We think we’ve contained our costs pretty well and we’ve got some really good infrastructure projects coming out around road safety and the extension of some of our major roads,” he said.
“We really welcome feedback through Engage Ararat, and we’re also going to hold a series of town hall meetings in Ararat and some of our smaller communities as well over the next few weeks.”
Items in the draft budget include: $1.49-million in grant funding for the Ararat Pony Club project; $683,000 for a Woorndoo-Streatham Road reconstruction project; $500,000 for Ararat Housing Enterprise; $148,760 for a Pomonal Community Hall battery project supported by the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries grants program; $133,000 towards a $399,000 upgrade of the Ararat Active Transport Bicycle Network; $100,000 for young people’s programs across schools; $100,000 for Community Support Grants; $100,000 for façade improvement and Kick Start Grants programs; $100,000 towards planning for a new indoor sports facility and an upgrade to Ararat outdoor pool; $100,000 of grant funding for a new dog park in Ararat; $60,000 for repair works to the former Cobb and Co staging stables in Buangor; $1-million to reconstruct a section of Buangor-Ben Nevis Road; $1.8-million to renew or resheet gravel roads; $750,000 to improve urban drainage systems; $400,000 for footpath upgrades; $312,232 in grant funding for pedestrian safety upgrades in the Ararat CBD; and $300,000 to renew kerb and channel.
The draft budget also provides for continued free access to outdoor pools in the municipality and the ongoing $6.25-million Mount William Road reconstruction.
The council will host a series of community engagement sessions allowing people to ask questions of councillors and council staff regarding the budget.
Sessions will be at: Ararat Town Hall, April 29, 11am; Buangor Community Sports Centre pavilion, April 30, 2pm; Elmhurst Mechanics Institute, April 29, 2pm; Lake Bolac Complex, May 1, 7pm; Moyston Community Hall, May 1, 11.30am; Pomonal Community Hall, May 1, 3pm; Tatyoon Hall, April 30, 7pm; and Willaura Memorial Hall, May 1, 5.30pm.
Dr Harrison said the council was also seeking feedback on its revenue and rating and financial plans.
He said the financial plan outlined a financially sustainable 10-year projection of how the Council Plan 2025-2029 could be funded to achieve the Community Vision 2035, while the Rating and Revenue Plan 2025-2029 determined the most appropriate and affordable revenue and rating approach.
Feedback on all three documents is open until Tuesday, May 9 at 5pm.
People can make submissions via the Engage Ararat website; by writing to Ararat Rural City Council, PO Box 246, Ararat, VIC, 3377; or by emailing engage@ararat.vic.gov.au.
The entire April 16, 2025 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
