In April, Council asked the community to get involved in early discussions with the Budget Priority Projects Survey. A total of 638 residents completed the simple questionnaire on myTownHall and paper surveys, sharing their thoughts on which proposed projects were a priority for Ballarat this year.

Below are the results of the priority projects survey:

Project / Cost	Weighted Score	Extremely Supportive	Very Supportive	Supportive	Less Supportive	Not Supportive	% Extremely Supportive	% Not Supportive
Public Toilet
$ 250,000	2036	120	167	192	96	52	19.1%	8.3%
Her Majesties Theatre
$ 1,148,000	1981	135	128	186	118	50	21.9%	8.1%
Sebastapol Library
$ 2,000,000	1937	128	108	193	143	59	20.3%	9.4%
Implementation of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy
$ 100,000	1897	120	134	187	100	64	19.8%	10.6%
Rural Roads
$ 900,000	1895	125	112	186	132	61	20.3%	9.9%
LED Street Lights
$ 3,200,000	1850	87	142	199	125	64	14.1%	10.4%
Youth Space-
$ 50,000	1844	83	147	209	107	68	13.5%	11.1%
Art Gallery of Ballarat
$ 100,000	1839	121	103	184	135	79	19.5%	12.7%
CBD Car Parking
$ 2,500,000	1745	104	109	173	135	93	16.9%	15.1%
Mining Exchange
$ 150,000	1720	92	122	172	128	102	14.9%	16.6%
Community Garden
$ 50,000	1717	73	120	192	148	87	11.8%	14.0%
Lake Lighting
$ 2,000,000	1654	84	127	156	129	119	13.7%	19.3%
Black Hill Reserve
$ 230,000	1623	63	97	202	157	86	10.4%	14.2%
Fernery
$ 1,400,000	1593	76	74	203	154	111	12.3%	18.0%
Botanical Gardens “All of Us” garden
$ 50,000	1460	51	79	175	182	132	8.2%	21.3%
Regional Motorsport Facility
$ 100,000	968	77	31	63	135	311	12.5%	50.4%

You told us what you wanted in Ballarat this year, and we have listened. In the Draft Budget 2015/16, Council is pleased to deliver 11 new and popular projects, totalling a $4.5 million investment in the community We will deliver the following great community projects in 2015/2016, building a better Ballarat, for our local community and for visitors to the city.

Fernery – $1.4 million

Design and build a new fernery and interactive experience at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens

Sebastopol Library – $1.25 million

Rejuvenation of the existing Sebastopol Library to provide a modern library and community hub

Her Majesty’s Theatre – $1.12 million

Replace theatre seats and upgrade theatre amenity to provide a contemporary theatre experience

Public Toilet – $250,000

Construct an additional CBD Public Toilet in the entertainment precinct

Black Hill Reserve – $230,000

Re-open the lookout facility at Black Hill and improve road access

Mining Exchange – $150,000

Install soundproofing and acoustic treatment to establish the Mining Exchange as a live music venue

Implementation of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy – $100,000

Funding to implement a priority action contained within the ESS

Motorsport Regional – $100,000

Secure land for a possible future motor sport complex

The following projects will be met through internal re-prioritisations:

Art Gallery of Ballarat – $50,000

Renew the front foyer desk and install blackout curtains in the rear gallery

Youth Space- $50,000

Establish a new Youth Space at a location to be decided

LED Street Lighting – $25,000

Replacement street lighting in the City of Ballarat with low energy use light fittings

The Draft Budget and Council Plan will be available to view from Monday, 18 May.