City happy with performance

THE results are in for the City of Greater Bendigo’s performance over the 2020/21 financial year.

The State Government recently released its Know Your Council data, comparing the City to the 78 other municipalities in Victoria, and its own results from previous years.

City director of corporate performance Andrew Cooney said the municipality is performing well despite COVID-19 still impacting many services.

“I would like to acknowledge our staff who responded and adapted very well in a challenging environment to deliver important services to the community,” he said.

“The Know Your Council data helps us track our progress over time and make improvements to our services wherever possible.”

Greater Bendigo ranked top in the state for condition standards of sealed roads with 99.33 per cent, and 61 per cent community satisfaction, three per cent higher than similar municipalities including Geelong, Ballarat and Shepparton.

Sixty-six per cent of customers were satisfied with customer service and 54 per cent were satisfied with council decisions.

Mr Cooney said there is more to be done in terms of diverting waste from landfill, with just over 50 per cent currently diverted, and the cost of kerbside garbage bin collection service per bin almost $60 higher than similar municipalities.

“Much of the cost is associated with the mandatory payment of the landfill levy to the Environment Protection Authority,” he said.

“Changes in the recycling markets have also meant more packaging items are no longer accepted in kerbside recycling.

“We continue to review arrangements of garbage collection services to ensure we are providing a high-quality service that delivers value for the community.”