Liam McNally
Moorabool residents are less satisfied than the average Victorian about the performance of their council.
The community satisfaction survey runs across the state, and for 23 years has been asking residents about key areas of life in their local government area.
The results are graded out of 100 against a statewide average, and an average of similar communities.
This year Moorabool’s overall satisfaction result dropped four points, to the lowest it has been in at least the last 10 years.
This year 400 responses gave an insight into residents’ views on council performance, value for money, community consultation and engagement, customer service, local infrastructure, facilities, services, and overall council direction.
Moorabool received an overall score nine points below the Victorian average, and five points below average in the “large rural” category.
Moorabool scored lower on every measured topic than the state and large rural, and scores also declined from last year’s results for every metric except customer service.
The report said Moorabool graded “significantly lower” than the state average in local streets and footpaths, recreational facilities, and sealed roads.
Moorabool graded “significantly lower” than the large rural average for aged care services, local streets and footpaths, and recreational facilities.
The biggest declines in perceived council performance were in aged care services, and local streets and footpaths.
The report was raised at a council meeting on Thursday, October 5, and councillor Rod Ward moved a recommendation to look at increasing resources toward some of the lowest performing areas.
“The message from the ratepayers in Moorabool is loud and clear, that more needs to be done on our sealed roads and maintenance, and our footpaths and walking tracks,” he said.
A report to council stated that some of the contributing factors for the declining scores may be council’s decision to exit aged support services, storms and floods affecting roads in late 2021 and early 2022, and ongoing community discontent with the resolved proposal to dump toxic soil from the West Gate Tunnel in Moorabool, and community fears relating to the proposed high voltage overhead transmission lines.
