Ararat Rural City Council has received the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Dr Tim Harrison, who will conclude his tenure on 30 November 2026, bringing to a close more than eight years of dedicated leadership of the organisation. Mayor Bob Sanders expressed regret at the departure, while affirming Council’s commitment to finding a strong successor and ensuring continuity of services for the community.

Dr Harrison was appointed CEO in 2018, bringing with him a background in engineering, local government leadership, social enterprise, and academic research, and was reappointed to a five-year term in January 2023. Throughout his tenure, he led the organisation with a focus on long-term asset stewardship, fiscal responsibility, and evidence-based decision-making.

During his time as CEO, Dr Harrison oversaw a sustained period of capital works investment across the municipality, including road reconstruction and renewal, urban drainage upgrades, housing stock growth, the introduction of a four-bin waste system, and a range of recreation and community facility improvements. Council’s proposed 2026/2027 capital works program reached $15.8 million — the highest in the organisation’s history — and the adopted budget for that year projects a comprehensive operating surplus of $4.624 million, a marked improvement from the adjusted underlying deficits recorded in 2017/18, the year before he took the helm.

Council will confirm arrangements for the transition to a new CEO in the coming months, with succession planning already well underway and an internal and external recruitment process to follow.