THE proximity to major metropolitan centres can be a blessing and a curse for a shire like Moorabool.
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On one hand, you can offer any sort of lifestyle you want from urban living, to rural and country life, you have reasonably close access to major commercial centres like Geelong, Ballarat and Melbourne, and you've got regular public transport.
But then there are the downsides such as the amount of roads you need to take care of, the constant battle for funding and the ability to handle the inevitable growth.
The delicate balance will be no more acutely seen as in the next 12 months as the Victorian government throws money all around the state to get it up and running again.
While major centres will no doubt get the lions share, for a shire like Moorabool, there's a real fear that it could miss out once again, which is why someone like Tom Sullivan believes his role as mayor will be crucial going forward.
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Cr Sullivan was this week elected unopposed to his third term as the Shire's leader.
"The reason one stands for council is because you have something to offer," he said. "We've got a number of projects ongoing, and I'm keen to see those through."
Mr Sullivan said major projects would be the ongoing battle to bring sewerage in towns like Wallace and Bungaree, while the new power grid will also need to be closely watch, particularly in the northern parts of the region.
"We are a very diverse municipality and it's all about where we sit. Ballarat, Geelong and Wyndham we are in between significant municipal areas," he said.
"The critical thing is while we are varied, we need to be seen as a singlular community.
"We have a number of issues such as the unsealed and sealed road network. They are important for economic wellbeing to get produce in and out. Also for our residents, given the amount of roads that get torn up."
Cr Sullivan said the shire would seek clarity on exactly where the new power grid was expected to go.
"The proposed corridor they've put forward takes a swathe of land through the northern part of the shire, but at this stage there's nothing really concrete," he said.
"These will be significant structures and it will have an impact on the rural landscape.
"The shire has done some work on undergrounding and I know it costs more, but I think you've got to look at the whole of life cost, the impact for fires, that sort of thing.
"But at this point, council can't respond to something we don't know. There's a lot of shadow-boxing going at the moment and until we know definitively where it will go, it's hard to formally respond."
Cr Sullivan said he felt the full impacts of the COVID-19 year would probably not be felt until into next year and that would have to be an immediate focus for any council to make sure residents were properly cared for.