The Victorian Electoral Commission released the final report of its Local Council Representation Review of the Ararat Rural City Council on Wednesday, with nothing changing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The review looked into whether structural changes were needed with the council, including whether there should be a change to the amount of councillors and whether the council should be subdivided.
In its submission to the Local Government Minister, the VEC recommended the council continue with seven councillors elected from an unsubdivided electoral structure.
Ararat Rural City Council mayor Peter Beales said he "expected the same conclusion".
"It is a lot of effort for the same result but it is important for people to have their say," he said.
"The status quo remains and we will get on with the job."
The review process commenced earlier this year, with preliminary submissions closing on February 27. 15 community submissions were made.
The VEC received a further seven responses after releasing its preliminary report.
The report outlined that calls for a reduction in councillor numbers "reflected a degree of dissatisfaction" with the council.
"Given the special circumstances in Ararat Rural City, the VEC found that seven councillors was the most appropriate number of councillors to achieve fair and equitable representation," the report read.
The public submissions varied in support on the councillor numbers and subdivision topics.
Community members were given two options to vote on in the public response phase. Option A, which was the preferred and successful option, suggested no changes where option B suggested seven councillors from four wards.
READ MORE: Community has say in VEC review
Option A received four public votes, with option B receiving three.
The VEC also noted several reasons in its decision not to recommend the subdivision of the council.
"The VEC noted the relatively low numbers of candidates in previous Ararat Rural City Council general elections and was concerned that a subdivided electoral structure might lead to uncontested or even failed elections," the report read.
"Ararat Rural City Council has a relatively low voter-to-councillor ratio compared to similar local councils, and the local council area is predicted to experience slow population decline over the mid-term outlook."
Reviews of this nature occur before every third council election. Ararat's last review was in 2007, which had the same 'no change' outcome.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from The Ararat Advertiser. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Ararat shire, sign up here.