Councillor Peter Beales moved the motion to adopt the budget, stating he was particularly pleased with the 1.5 per cent rate cut in the budget, which ensures council's rates are now at the same level they were for the 2019-19 budget.

"There's no (other) council that's done that," Cr Beals said.

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"We only have to listen to the radio and read the papers to see what's happening to some of our neighbouring councils.

"In the discussions over this budget, one of the issues was 'how do we explain this budget to the community?' And I said to my fellow councillors, 'the figures will talk for themselves.

"We send out a very simple document that indicates where things are going. But when they look at their own bill they will see that it hasn't gone up."

Ararat Rural City Council chief executive Dr Tim Harrison said the council's model for calculating rates meant people were paying what was fair.

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"We're ensuring we maintain relativities in rate burden," Dr Harrison said.

"Where possible, we've tried to prevent rate shock experiences through large and unexpected rate increases.

"We've seen some large average increases in valuation over the period, particularly in the farmland sector. That may have had a roll-on effect to our rating, but we do have that commitment to maintaining rate burden on a percentage basis."

This means the four rating sectors - general, commercial, industrial, and farming - contribute about the same portion of the council's rates this year.

Consequently, even though the average value of a farming property in Ararat has increased by almost 40 per cent in the past 12 months, farmers' rates will not increase by the same margin.

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Cr Rob Armstrong commended a change in the council's mindset.

"The difference is we're running this as a business... to be accountable for all the money that's spent, all the money that shouldn't be wasted, and I think that's starting to really show," Cr Armstrong said.

Cr Gwenda Allgood noted instigating the changes in council had not been simple.

"It certainly has been turned around but it took a lot of time and effort and a lot of heartache to actually turn this whole system around," Cr Allgood said.

While on public exhibition, the budget received three written submissions.

Lake Bolac Information and Business Centre submitted what the council's agenda described as "a broad ranging submission relating to the LBiBC in particular and lake Bolac issues in general."

Another submitter requested the sealing of urban roads and wastewater treatment in Moyston, with the third stating concerns about a lack of equity to farming rates.

Dr Harrison said he would contact the different submitters to discuss their ideas and concerns.

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