Municipal inspector touts West Wimmera Shire Council's progress

The review, which followed a previous review in 2018, highlighted the Council's commitment to investing in its staff and systems.

Chief municipal inspector Michael Stefanovic AM said it was pleasing to note that staff felt the culture was more inclusive and that they were given a voice in areas such as highlighting potential process improvements or discussing personal matters that had previously been uncomfortable.

"The council executive team, led by chief executive officer David Bezuidenhout, are to be commended for driving change, through their investment in areas that my office had previously identified as having been neglected," Mr Stefanovic said.

The council implemented many improvements, including an increased focus on staff training.

This compliance management tool has significantly improved efficiency and accountability across the organisation, a new finance system, an improved asset management system, a new customer request management system and the implementation of a cloud-based system to improve records management.

Council has also enhanced its conflict-of-interest practices by engaging industry specialists and has improved its land sales and leasing practices.

Improvements have also been made in the critical area of councillor and staff interaction practices by implementing an interaction policy and code of conduct.

Mayor Tim Meyer said the latest findings were very pleasing.

"We are proud of our staff and the progress made in strengthening our governance practices and culture," he said.

Mr Bezuidenhout said Council was committed to improving its systems and procedures, service delivery and the culture in the organisation to ensure the best outcomes for the community.