Surf Coast rides high in ratepayers’ survey

THE Surf Coast Shire has again bettered the state average in the state government’s Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey.

The municipality’s overall 2018 rating of 62 marked a one-point improvement on 2017 and was above the statewide score of 59 as well as the statewide average of 56 for large rural municipalities.

Surf Coast Shire ratepayers rated the council above or level with the state average in five of seven core performance areas, including overall performance, community consultation, advocacy, sealed local roads and overall council direction.

The shire was slightly below the state average for the core measures of making community decisions and customer service.

Surf Coast mayor David Bell said the survey results provided valuable and constructive insight.

“It is always important to get this measure of how our community is viewing our work.

“While we are very pleased with our ratings against state averages in a number of areas, we are mindful of all fluctuations and our need to respond to areas of concern.”

The annual random phone survey of 600 resident and non-resident ratepayers was completed between February 1 and March 30.

Scores are measured out of 100 and indexed to take into account both performance and how important a given measure is to the survey respondent.

The Surf Coast Shire’s top three performing areas were:

• Appearance of public areas – 76
• Emergency and disaster management – 74
• Recreational facilities – 72

Its top three areas for improvement were:

• Planning and population growth – 49
• Unsealed roads – 50
• Planning and building permits – 50