In a final report released on February 15, the new maps show the new electoral boundaries with one councillor per suburb.

Each of the boundaries has been drawn to not only represent the current population, but expected population growth over the next few years.

"When undertaking an electoral structure review, the panel must adhere to the ... legislated equality requirement and seek to ensure the number of voters per councillor in a ward to be within +/-10 per cent of the average number of voters per councillor in any other ward," the report states.

"The recommended names for the 9 wards in this electoral structure are Alfredton, Brown Hill, Buninyong, Central, Delacombe, Golden Point, North, Sebastopol and Wendouree."

Each ward will have one councillor each representing an average of 9704 voters.

Right now, there are three large wards in the north, south, and central areas of the city, each with three councillors each.

During the review, the commission only received nine submissions, with five preferring the first proposed map.

"The panel noted that some submissions advocated for the current multi-councillor ward electoral structure to be retained. But these submissions acknowledged, in preferencing one of the preliminary report models, that this is not possible," the report states.

Elsewhere, Moorabool and Hepburn shire councils will move to an "unsubdivided" structure, moving away from the current ward boundaries.

Moorabool Shire Council will be represented by nine councillors, and Hepburn Shire Council will be represented by seven councillors.

For Moorabool, a suggested model with three wards and two councillors per ward received the most public support, but the reports states "(s)ubmitters argued that an unsubdivided structure would encourage councillors to be responsible to all residents and more likely to act in the interests of the entire shire".

However, supporters of the ward model said smaller towns needed representation also.

The panel "found it very difficult to develop a ward-based structure using meaningful boundaries that did not divide any communities", particularly in Bacchus Marsh.

Similarly, in Hepburn Shire, there was more support for single-councillor wards, particularly in Trentham, but the panel decided to go with the unsubdivided model instead.

Another review will be held for Pyrenees Shire Council.

The full reports can be read through the state government's website.

The next council election will be held in October.