The study, carried out by the Victorian Auditor-General's Office, said councils lacked cost data to analyse their performance.

Some do not have the technology to accurately assess road conditions, it also found.

A detailed audit was carried out on five separate councils: the City of Greater Bendigo; Gannawarra Shire; Maribyrnong City; Northern Grampians Shire and Yarra Ranges Shire.

The report made a series of recommendations to the state's 79 councils, including a push to review road surveying methods and modelling software.

Councils should also give and collect detailed community feedback on service levels every two years, auditors wrote.

The reports' authors said a "cost-efficient" approach was important as councils spend an average of around 10 per cent of total expenditure on road maintenance.

A spokesperson for the City of Ballarat said many of the recommendations within the auditor's report, which went to all councils, were already in place.

They also confirmed they used the laser technology to survey sealed roads every three years, a process that last happened in 2020.

A spokesperson said: "The benefits of high-tech asset data capture gained in maintenance and construction efficiencies, far outweigh the cost ($140K for the sealed roads condition report, asset information and Capital programming).

The City of Ballarat registered an increase in the number of requests to look at sealed local roads last year, with 56.66 requests coming in per 100 kilometres of sealed roads compared to 37.34 at similar councils.

The rise was attributed to COVID, with the annual report declaring property owners were spending more time in their own areas.

According to data published on the auditor-general website, the City of Ballarat has 1,417 kilometres of local roads under its jurisdiction including 390 kilometres of unsealed roads. That is less than the average 1,676 kilometres across the state, while the average size of the local road network at regional city councils is 2,197 kilometres.

Neighbouring local government areas have much more extensive road networks per head of population.

Hepburn Shire has 1,509 kilometres, compared to Moorabool Shire with 1,526 kms, Golden Plains Shire with 1,864 km, and Pyrenees Shire with 2,036 km. Despite having the largest road network, Pyrenees Shire has by far the smallest population of all the local government areas in the region.

As a point of comparison, there are around 13 metres of road per resident in Ballarat compared to 272 metres in Pyrenees Shire.

Officers and councillors in Moorabool Shire in particular have been vocal in calling for investment to help with the upkeep of local roads.

The state has 132,420 kilometres of local roads, which make up 87 per cent of Victoria's road network. Main arterial roads fall under the responsibility of VicRoads.

See here for full details of the audit.

Will Ballarat council be adopting the recommendations from the report?

All of the audited Councils have accepted the recommendations which we use as a benchmark. Many of the recommendations are already in place at the City.

What's the situation with BCC data analysis?

The City of Ballarat captures technology-based data for its road network every three years. The most recent data capture was completed in 2020 with the results still being compiled and incorporated into our data bases and GIS network.

Does council use laser-based devices for surveying or is the cost too prohibitive?

Yes. This is the method used for capturing data for the City. Laser technology and high-definition photographs taken at 10 metre intervals is the general method used. Specialised companies provide this highly accurate information to Councils.

Can Ballarat's software predict the state of specific roads?

Yes the company that provides the specialist data can also provide predictive modelling of our road network. This is the primary driver for our road maintenance and road rehabilitation Capital program of works.

Any other observations on value for money:

The benefits of high-tech asset data capture gained in maintenance and construction efficiencies, far outweigh the cost ($140K for the sealed roads condition report, asset information and Capital programming). A maintenance schedule is also being prepared as part of this.

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