Ballarat City

Profile Performance

Performance Summary: 2019-2020

Animal Management

Provision of animal management and responsible pet ownership services to the community including monitoring, registration, enforcement and education

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Time taken to action animal management requests	3.95 days	Time taken to action animal management requests Ballarat City (2019-2020) 3.95 days Similar Councils (2019-2020) 1.89 days All Councils (2019-2020) 1.71 days Council Says... The increasing trend for 2018 financial year & 2019 financial year was mainly due to operator error and the requests not being actioned in pathway when completed. This is was reviewed and setup better with additional indicators so we can report with more accuracy in the 2020 financial year, hence the decrease in this indicator. In addition, the Ballarat City Council has had to deal with a few complex matters surrounding dog attacks and staff shortages which has delayed response times in the 2018 and 2019 Financial years.	1.89 days	1.71 days
Animals reclaimed from council	37.33%	Animals reclaimed from council Ballarat City (2019-2020) 37.33% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 41.16% All Councils (2019-2020) 47.26% Council Says... Ballarat City Council has seen a decrease in collected and reclaimed animals in the 2020 financial year. However, it's now at levels similar to the 2017 and 2018 financial years. The animal shelter has been running at limited capacity during COVID-19 causing some delays in animals being reclaimed. More cats than dogs have been collected during this time, with cats less likely to be reclaimed than dogs.	41.16%	47.26%
Animals rehomed	46.93%	Animals rehomed Ballarat City (2019-2020) 46.93% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 45.93% All Councils (2019-2020) 31.96% Council Says... This is the first year this indicator has been used, interestingly the Ballarat City Council has either reclaimed or rehomed 84% of the animals that were collected this financial year.	45.93%	31.96%
Cost of animal management service per population	$18.92	Cost of animal management service per population Ballarat City (2019-2020) $18.92 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $14.72 All Councils (2019-2020) $12.54 Council Says... Ballarat City Council had a cost decrease due to COVID-19 restricting rangers and animal shelter operating hours. Some of these staff were redeployed to other areas or stood down during this time.	$14.72	$12.54
Successful animal management prosecutions	100.00%		50.00%	63.75%

View the complete Animal Management service area report

View retired indicators

Aquatic Facilities

Provision of indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities to the community and visitors for wellbeing, water safety, sport and recreation

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Health inspections of aquatic facilities	1.29	Health inspections of aquatic facilities Ballarat City (2019-2020) 1.29 Similar Councils (2019-2020) 1.99 All Councils (2019-2020) 1.52 Council Says... Ballarat City Council had a focus on pools in the 2016 financial year, including education and improved operator processes in conjunction with our recreation team. This resulted in the early identification and rectification of issues before the following seasonal pool opening. This resulted in significantly improved compliance rates and reduced follow-up inspections over following years. There was also aquatic facility equipment investment which reduced equipment failure issues. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 resulted in no testing later in the year, with outdoor pools shutting down slightly earlier then anticipated and indoor pools being shut for over three months.	1.99	1.52
Number of visits to aquatic facilities per head of municipal population	4.42	Number of visits to aquatic facilities per head of municipal population Ballarat City (2019-2020) 4.42 Similar Councils (2019-2020) 5.81 All Councils (2019-2020) 3.98 Council Says... Ballarat City Council had seen an increase of 20,000 visits to indoor pools for the financial year up to and including February 2020 compared to last February. However, the outdoor pools have seen a decrease for the same time of 20,000 visits. The impact of COVID-19 has resulted in cancelled school swimming carnivals, restricted time limits and facility closures.	5.81	3.98
Cost of aquatic facilities per visit	$4.33	Cost of aquatic facilities per visit Ballarat City (2019-2020) $4.33 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $4.56 All Councils (2019-2020) $8.37 Council Says... Ballarat City Council aquatic facilities were impacted by COVID-19 over the last quarter of the 2020 financial year due to reduced income from closures. A small portion was offset by employee cost reductions as staff were redeployed to other services such as Meals on Wheels and Corporate Services.	$4.56	$8.37

View the complete Aquatic Facilities service area report

View retired indicators

Food Safety

Provision of food safety services to the community including registrations, education, monitoring, inspections and compliance

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Time taken to action food complaints	3.21 days	Time taken to action food complaints Ballarat City (2019-2020) 3.21 days Similar Councils (2019-2020) 2.3 days All Councils (2019-2020) 1.61 days Council Says... Ballarat City Council had a decrease in complaint numbers in the 2019 calendar year. However staff shortages led to a slightly longer increase in responding to some of these complaints.	2.3 days	1.61 days
Percentage of required food safety assessments undertaken	101.86%		86.54%	95.00%
Cost of food safety service per premises	$497.50		$474.56	$502.10
Percentage of critical and major non-compliance outcome notifications followed up by council	94.25%	Percentage of critical and major non-compliance outcome notifications followed up by council Ballarat City (2019-2020) 94.25% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 86.97% All Councils (2019-2020) 91.91% Council Says... Separate follow-up inspections are not always practical, with event or market non-compliances accounting for the majority of major non-compliances without a separate follow-up inspection. These are commonly followed up with education and/or immediate corrective action. The food business operator is also recorded as non-compliant with their registering authority to aid further monitoring through the StreaTrader system. Some variances may be due to some businesses closing before outstanding non-compliances are corrected.	86.97%	91.91%

View the complete Food Safety service area report

Governance

Provision of good governance to the community including making and implementing decisions with reference to community engagement, policy frameworks and agreed practice

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Council decisions made at meetings closed to the public	16.62%	Council decisions made at meetings closed to the public Ballarat City (2019-2020) 16.62% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 12.98% All Councils (2019-2020) 9.84% Council Says... Since mid-2016 financial year, an increase in Council resolutions made at meetings closed to the public is due to more contracts requiring approval by Council. At the start of 2019 a contracts committee was put in place so less contracts needed to go to council. In November 2018, the meeting procedures changed to allow Councillors to pass multiple reports in one "block" therefore only using one resolution, leading to an increase in this indicator. Ballarat City Council has had less resolutions made in camera in the 2020 financial year (59) compared to the prior years (2019 financial year - 68 and 2018 financial year - 76).	12.98%	9.84%
Community satisfaction with community consultation and engagement	63/100		53/100	56/100
Councillor attendance at council meetings	95.24%		93.23%	92.01%
Cost of elected representation	$47,305.35		$43,971.14	$49,089.27
Community satisfaction with council decisions	61/100	Community satisfaction with council decisions Ballarat City (2019-2020) 61/100 Similar Councils (2019-2020) 51/100 All Councils (2019-2020) 55/100 Council Says... The conducted survey has noted a significant improvement in Council decisions from 2019 to 2020	51/100	55/100

View the complete Governance service area report

Libraries

Provision of print and digital based resources to the community in a variety of formats including collection services, e-services, research tools and interactive learning programs

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Physical library collection usage	4.00	Physical library collection usage Ballarat City (2019-2020) 4.00 Similar Councils (2019-2020) 3.26 All Councils (2019-2020) 3.56 Council Says... Due to COVID-19, Ballarat City Council libraries were closed to the public from March to May and returned in limited capacity in June. There was an increased demand for borrowings before shutdown.	3.26	3.56
Proportion of library resources less than 5 years old	65.97%	Proportion of library resources less than 5 years old Ballarat City (2019-2020) 65.97% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 61.37% All Councils (2019-2020) 65.34% Council Says... Ballarat Central Library has 18,000+ items in its local history collection. Its significant size and age distort the percentage proportion of items purchased in the past five years. Collection management practices are leading to an ongoing improvement in the resource standard.	61.37%	65.34%
Active library borrowers in municipality	12.19%	Active library borrowers in municipality Ballarat City (2019-2020) 12.19% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 12.22% All Councils (2019-2020) 14.88% Council Says... Due to COVID-19, Ballarat City Council libraries were closed to the public from March to May and returned in limited capacity in June. There was an increased demand for borrowings before shutdown and continued e-book services throughout the shutdown, resulting in a small decrease in active library borrowers in this financial year.	12.22%	14.88%
Cost of library service per population	$30.96		$26.96	$32.10

View the complete Libraries service area report

View retired indicators

Maternal and Child Health

Provision of universal access to health services for children from birth to school age and their families including early detection, referral, monitoring and recording of child health and development

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Infant enrolments in the MCH service	102.80%		101.21%	100.81%
Cost of the MCH service	$65.35	Cost of the MCH service Ballarat City (2019-2020) $65.35 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $70.92 All Councils (2019-2020) $81.81 Council Says... Ballarat City Council had a significant increase in EFT in the 2020 financial year due to more funding being received for the MCH program. The effects of COVID-19 had limited impact with a transition to telehealth and alternative service modes. Some new funded initiatives were put on hold due to the COVID-19.	$70.92	$81.81
Participation in the MCH service	71.63%		76.98%	78.05%
Participation in the MCH service by Aboriginal children	71.56%	Participation in the MCH service by Aboriginal children Ballarat City (2019-2020) 71.56% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 79.32% All Councils (2019-2020) 82.00% Council Says... The lower percentage in Aboriginal children participation in the funded MCH service is due to the local Aboriginal co-operative running a similar service. Client can access both services or choose either one of these services. We have a lower intake of indigenous newborns to the MCH program due to some families choosing the Aboriginal co-operative child health program. Ballarat City Council has seen an increase in participation over the last four years due to a focus on indigenous partnership work, cultural safety of facilities and health service provisions, professional development with nurse teams, support from Council's Aboriginal Liaison Officer and MCH representation within indigenous networks.	79.32%	82.00%
Participation in 4-week Key Age and Stage visit	96.57%		97.47%	97.03%

View the complete Maternal and Child Health service area report

View retired indicators

Roads

Provision of a network of sealed local roads under the control of the municipal council to all road users

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Sealed local road requests per 100km of sealed local roads	56.66	Sealed local road requests per 100km of sealed local roads Ballarat City (2019-2020) 56.66 Similar Councils (2019-2020) 37.34 All Councils (2019-2020) 53.93 Council Says... The Ballarat City Council has experienced a significant increase in requests during the COVID months. Majority of these requests are coming from property owners living in the area as people are spending more time in there own areas due to COVID.	37.34	53.93
Sealed local roads maintained to condition standards	99.78%		96.40%	96.43%
Cost of sealed local road reconstruction per square metre	$135.95	Cost of sealed local road reconstruction per square metre Ballarat City (2019-2020) $135.95 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $105.43 All Councils (2019-2020) $97.16 Council Says... Reduction in sealed local road reconstruction is attributed to increased competition among contractors as we are still delivering the same amount of work.	$105.43	$97.16
Cost of sealed local road resealing per square metre	$5.13	Cost of sealed local road resealing per square metre Ballarat City (2019-2020) $5.13 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $7.60 All Councils (2019-2020) $13.45 Council Says... Reduction in sealed local road resealing is attributed to the increased competition among contractors as we are still delivering the same amount of work.	$7.60	$13.45
Community satisfaction with sealed local roads	55/100		55/100	56/100

View the complete Roads service area report

Statutory Planning

Provision of land use and development assessment services to applicants and the community including advice and determination of applications

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Time taken to decide planning applications	69 days	Time taken to decide planning applications Ballarat City (2019-2020) 69 days Similar Councils (2019-2020) 52.05 days All Councils (2019-2020) 65.41 days Council Says... Complexity of applications and staff shortages continued a trend of longer waiting times through the first half of the period. However, a return to full staff and processing efficiencies established during the last quarter of the period saw processing times return to 2017-2018 figures.	52.05 days	65.41 days
Planning applications decided within required time frames	65.48%	Planning applications decided within required time frames Ballarat City (2019-2020) 65.48% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 80.16% All Councils (2019-2020) 73.97% Council Says... Complexity of applications and staff shortages continued a trend of longer waiting times through the first half of the period. However, a return to full staff and processing efficiencies established during the last quarter of the period saw processing times return to 2017-2018 figures.	80.16%	73.97%
Cost of statutory planning service per planning application	$1,935.48	Cost of statutory planning service per planning application Ballarat City (2019-2020) $1,935.48 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $2,586.97 All Councils (2019-2020) $2,645.65 Council Says... Contractors and VCAT legal representation costs caused higher costs in the second half of this period. A full complement of statutory planning services and productive outcomes has resulted in lower costs than the previous financial year.	$2,586.97	$2,645.65
Council planning decisions upheld at VCAT	75.00%	Council planning decisions upheld at VCAT Ballarat City (2019-2020) 75.00% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 51.32% All Councils (2019-2020) 50.61% Council Says... In the 2020 financial year, there were three applications overturned by VCAT, two in 2019FY, four in 2018FY and zero in 2017FY. This shows a small change in numbers can have a large effect on this indicator.	51.32%	50.61%

View the complete Statutory Planning service area report

Waste Collection

Provision of kerbside waste collection service to the community including garbage and recyclables

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Kerbside bin collection requests per 1,000 households	201.29		152.30	119.91
Kerbside collection bins missed per 10,000 households	11.40		5.77	5.03
Cost of kerbside garbage bin collection service per bin	$118.57		$99.90	$112.03
Cost of kerbside recyclables collection service per bin	$41.02	Cost of kerbside recyclables collection service per bin Ballarat City (2019-2020) $41.02 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $53.81 All Councils (2019-2020) $65.17 Council Says... Due to recycling issues impacting all councils from the 2019 financial year, Ballarat City Council has seen an increase in recycling costs due to new processes implemented to ensure recyclables don't end up in landfill, including the Pass on Glass campaign which separates glass from both landfill and recycling collections.	$53.81	$65.17
Kerbside collection waste diverted from landfill	43.07%	Kerbside collection waste diverted from landfill Ballarat City (2019-2020) 43.07% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 48.81% All Councils (2019-2020) 44.13% Council Says... Due to recycling changes in the 2020 financial year, Ballarat City Council has seen a drop in recyclables as glass is no longer part of kerbside collection recyclables.	48.81%	44.13%

View the complete Waste Collection service area report

Financial Performance

Provision of relevant information about the effectiveness of financial management in local government including efficiency, liquidity, obligations, operating position and stability

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Expenses per property assessment	$3,254.80		$3,766.03	$3,402.81
Average rate per property assessment	$1,877.33		$1,904.35	$1,774.72
Current assets as a percentage of current liabilities	262.21%	Current assets as a percentage of current liabilities Ballarat City (2019-2020) 262.21% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 224.06% All Councils (2019-2020) 291.35% Council Says... The change in this indicator for the 2020 financial year is due to an increase of cash and cash equivalents in the current assets and the new treatment of the accounting standards for unearned income and lease liabilities in the current liabilities section. The forecast trend does not take into account the levels of cash and cash equivalents that might be received prior to the end of the financial year such as receiving Grants Commission funding for the following financial year	224.06%	291.35%
Unrestricted cash as a percentage of current liabilities	-68.39%	Unrestricted cash as a percentage of current liabilities Ballarat City (2019-2020) -68.39% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 84.40% All Councils (2019-2020) 88.99% Council Says... Ballarat City Council can't include cash held in term deposits that are invested for longer than 90 days in the cash and cash equivalent section as per the financial statement's definition. The forecast trends do not take into account what time period the investments will be held for.	84.40%	88.99%
Loans and borrowings as a percentage of rates	36.96%		29.14%	15.03%
Loans and borrowings repayments as a percentage of rates	4.93%		4.87%	4.73%
Non-current liabilities as a percentage of own source revenue	34.30%	Non-current liabilities as a percentage of own source revenue Ballarat City (2019-2020) 34.30% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 38.18% All Councils (2019-2020) 21.38% Council Says... Ballarat City Council had an increase in interest bearing loans and borrowings this financial year which has increased the non-current liabilities. The treatment of the new lease accounting standards has increased the non-current liabilities as well compared to prior years.	38.18%	21.38%
Asset renewal and asset upgrade as a percentage of depreciation	78.40%		100.59%	115.25%
Adjusted underlying surplus (or deficit) as a percentage of underlying revenue	2.74%	Adjusted underlying surplus (or deficit) as a percentage of underlying revenue Ballarat City (2019-2020) 2.74% Similar Councils (2019-2020) -1.56% All Councils (2019-2020) -0.05% Council Says... The impact of COVID19 on business units that closed, and the restrictions imposed on staffing operations, has decreased income and increased expenditure where additional leave payments or redeployment of resources were required.	-1.56%	-0.05%
Rates as a percentage of adjusted underlying revenue	66.78%	Rates as a percentage of adjusted underlying revenue Ballarat City (2019-2020) 66.78% Similar Councils (2019-2020) 60.88% All Councils (2019-2020) 61.87% Council Says... The impact of COVID19 on business units that closed, and the restrictions imposed on staffing operations, has significantly decreased our income, resulting in other income sources being reduced compared to rates.	60.88%	61.87%
Rates as a percentage of property values in municipality	0.56%		0.60%	0.41%

View the complete Financial Performance service area report

View retired indicators

Sustainable Capacity

Provision of relevant information about whether local governments have the capacity to meet the agreed service and infrastructure needs of their community

Measurement Description	Ballarat City	Council Commentary	Similar Councils	All Councils
Expenses per head of municipal population	$1,634.76	Expenses per head of municipal population Ballarat City (2019-2020) $1,634.76 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $1,938.22 All Councils (2019-2020) $2,047.98 Council Says... The trend is tracking as expected at a slight increase. The larger spike in the 2017 financial year is due to a targeted analysis on unit rates on sport and recreation facilities which resulted in a write-down of values in these asset categories.	$1,938.22	$2,047.98
Infrastructure per head of municipal population	$16,935.35	Infrastructure per head of municipal population Ballarat City (2019-2020) $16,935.35 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $14,421.70 All Councils (2019-2020) $15,070.92 Council Says... The trend is tracking as expected at a slight increase. The reason for the larger spike in the 2019 financial year result reflects an increased level of infrastructure investment.	$14,421.70	$15,070.92
Population density per length of road	75.21		51.92	111.87
Own-source revenue per head of municipal population	$1,425.38		$1,494.57	$1,488.38
Recurrent grants per head of municipal population	$253.79	Recurrent grants per head of municipal population Ballarat City (2019-2020) $253.79 Similar Councils (2019-2020) $363.18 All Councils (2019-2020) $453.45 Council Says... During the 2017 and 2018 financial years, more funding was received for federal blackspot funding and the Federal Roads to Recovery program. The 2020 financial year has been impacted by the new AASB15 where there has been some adjustments to recurrent grants which means income will be recognised in future financial years as obligations are met not when we received them.	$363.18	$453.45
Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage of the municipality	4.00		3.50	5.53
Percentage of workforce turnover	11.69%		10.46%	12.52%

View the complete Sustainable Capacity service area report