Ararat (VIC) Council budget and finances

Budget & finances

Every Victorian council reports the same set of financial measures to the state each year, under the Local Government Performance Reporting Framework (LGPRF). The state doesn't set pass marks for these measures. So we show Ararat's figure for 2024–25 next to the median of all Victorian councils. The median is the middle value: half of councils are above it and half below. The median is a point of reference, not a target.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English

Operating result (surplus / deficit): Income minus expenses for the year's normal operations.
Average residential rate: The typical yearly general-rates bill for a home in the area.

See the full explainer, with formulas →

The numbers

Average rate per property (2024–25): $2,002General rates plus the municipal charge, divided by all property assessments (homes, farms and businesses). The Victorian median is $1,937.
Adjusted underlying result (2024–25): 0.35% deficitThe operating result without capital grants and contributions, as a share of that revenue. The Victorian median is a 0.56% surplus. For 2026–27 the council budgets an underlying operating deficit of $376,000 and a comprehensive operating surplus of $4.624 million.
Loans and borrowings (2024–25): 0.86% of ratesThe Victorian median is 13.2%. The 2026–27 budget says the council's current loans are fully repaid in 2025–26 and it plans no new loans in 2026–27.
2026–27 capital works: $15.797 millionIncluding $6.25 million for the Buangor–Ben Nevis Road upgrade, $1.8 million for rural gravel road renewal, $1.457 million of road reconstruction and $1 million for sealing urban roads and laneways (adopted budget).Annual Budget 2026/27 →

Measure (2024–25)	Ararat	Victorian median
	−0.35%	0.56%
Current assets ÷ current liabilities (short-term liquidity)	1.22×	2.17×
Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (free cash)	0.34×	0.26×
Loans and borrowings ÷ rates	0.86%	13.2%
Loan repayments ÷ rates	0.86%	1.4%
Non-current liabilities ÷ own-source revenue	7.8%	16.7%
Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation	100.7%	94.9%
Rates ÷ adjusted underlying revenue (reliance on rates)	49.4%	57.8%
Rates ÷ property values	0.27%	0.28%
Expenses per property assessment	$4,936	$4,100
Average rate per property assessment	$2,002	$1,937

Ararat Rural City Council, LGPRF financial measures, 2024–25, next to the median of the 79 Victorian councils reporting each measure. Source: Local Government Victoria, LGPRF 2020–2025 Full Council Data Set (Nov 2025 release), CC BY 4.0. The median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation.

The LGPRF has no official benchmarks, and Local Government Victoria says its data shouldn't be used for simplistic league tables. So we don't mark any figure as a pass or a fail, and we don't rank councils. The Victorian median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation, taken across the Victorian councils that report each measure in the 2024–25 data set. A figure above or below the median isn't good or bad in itself. Councils differ in size, assets and services; Ararat is in the LGPRF's 'Small Shire' group. The council's annual report explains its own results. The 2025–26 figures are due in about November 2026.

Sources — check it yourself

Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.