Below are the services listed in the ranking activity in the survey. If you are interested in more details, please read through the information below before completing the survey on the main project page.

  • Connected and healthy communities

  • Community safety

    Animal management: pet registration, response to animal-related complaints, management of dangerous animals, promoting responsible pet ownership.

    School crossings: providing trained crossing supervisors.

    Emergency management: preparedness, response, and recovery for emergencies and disasters, with local emergency services and the community.

    Local laws and regulatory compliance: Develop and enforce local laws, ensure compliance across public health, safety, amenity, and environmental protection

  • Community services

    Early & middle years: supports child development through partnerships, training, childcare, and specialised playgroups.

    Healthy active aging: resources and opportunities for older residents, e.g. info services and social engagement programs.

    Maternal & child health: structured appointments, targeted home visits, and specialised support.

    Youth development: programs aimed at empowering young people (aged 12-24). Early intervention, capacity building and promoting positive social connections.

    Find out more about programs available. 

  • Community wellbeing

    Arts, culture & heritage: cultural programs and events to celebrate local creativity, preserve history, provide diverse cultural experiences.

    Community strengthening: grants and programs to support local groups, encourage volunteering, and build community leadership.

    Indigenous development: Reconciliation activities to enhance organisational cultural literacy.

    Social infrastructure planning: strategically assess & develop community facilities and services to meet current and future needs.

    Find out more about our community grants and more 

  • Health Services

    Immunisation: services for residents and students within the municipality.

    Public & environmental health: proactively manages public health risks through education, monitoring, and enforcement activities.

    Public health & wellbeing: develop and implement plans to protect, improve, and promote community health in alignment with state guidelines.


  • A protected & enhanced natural environment

  • Caring for nature

    Land management: planning, conservation, and maintenance of public lands and natural resources within the municipality, including activities such as weed control, vegetation management and planned burns.

    Planting programs: vegetation initiatives in public spaces, including street tree planting, urban forest expansion, and community garden projects.

    Biodiversity: protecting and enhancing local ecosystems, including native species conservation, habitat restoration, and invasive species control.

  • Drains and waterways

    Stormwater management: plans, designs, constructs, maintains, and improves drainage infrastructure to effectively collect, convey, and treat stormwater runoff within the municipality.

    Waterway biodiversity: protect, restore, and enhance the ecological health of aquatic ecosystems, habitat restoration, invasive species control, water quality improvement, and biodiversity monitoring.

  • Liveable climate

    Climate adaptation: developing and implementing strategies to prepare the community and local ecosystems for the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events.

  • Waste (Rubbish)

    Landfill management: ongoing management and remediation of five closed landfill sites across Yarra Ranges.

    Resource Recovery: collection, processing, and management of household waste and recyclable materials to maximise resource recovery and minimise landfill disposal.

  • Quality infrastructure and liveable places

  • Community facilities

    Cultural venues and community halls: supporting community wellbeing through the activation, maintenance and optimisation of community cultural venues and halls ensuring they remain safe, functional and ready for community use.

    Libraries: free access to books, digital resources, information technology, educational programs, and community spaces for learning, research, and cultural engagement.

  • Parks and open space

    Open spaces: design, develop, and maintain reserves, gardens, trails, and recreational areas to enhance community enjoyment and wellbeing.

    Playspaces: provision of safe, accessible, and engaging outdoor play areas for children of various ages and abilities.

    Tree management: Assess, maintain, prune, remove, and plant trees on Council land, respond to public requests and provide tree-related information to enhance community landscapes, promote environmental sustainability, and ensure public safety.

  • Planning and building

    Building services: Building control administrations, compliance and enforcement duties.

    Place planning & design: Plan & design for vibrant, functional community spaces through urban planning, landscape architecture, long-term place development and urban design.

    Statutory planning: assessment of development applications, provision of planning advice, and enforcement of planning controls.

    Strategic projects: facilitation and delivery of major infrastructure projects involving multiple stakeholders.

  • Recreation & sports

    Aquatics: design, construction, maintenance and optimisation of aquatics facilities.

    Pavilions & club houses: provision, maintenance and optimisation of buildings that support recreational and sporting facilities, ensuring they remain safe, functional and ready for community use.

    Sports fields: design, construction, maintenance and optimisation of sports grounds.

    Trails: design, construction maintenance and optimisation of trails ensuring they remain safe and functional.

  • Roads and traffic

    Local roads, bridges, footpaths & carparks: planning, construction, maintenance, and management of local roads, ensuring safety, accessibility, and effective traffic flow while engaging with the community and coordinating with state authorities.

    Traffic management & street lighting.

  • Township enhancements

    Planning, development, and undertaking maintenance of smaller urban areas within the municipality to ensure they have functional and safe essential infrastructure, services, and amenities.

    Examples include the Wandin North Township Centre Masterplan and Collins Place, Kilysth Streetscape Plan.

    For e.g. Wandin North Township Centre Masterplan 

  • Vibrant economy, agriculture & tourism

  • Supporting local economy and tourism

    Small businesses and trader associations: supporting the establishment, sustainability, and growth of small businesses and groups of local traders

    Visitor economy: promoting tourism initiatives to enhance community prosperity

    Facilitating investment: attracting new investment to the region to stimulate development, employment and goods and services

    Listening to industries and business: services to facilitate the establishment, sustainability, and growth of businesses across key industries

    Council support for business