The state government initiative will see councils compared on a range of criteria so ratepayers can be better informed.

In total there are 66 different measures residents can compare to see how their council’s performances matches up.

Horsham Rural City Council Mayor Heather Phillips said the website would be brilliant for the community.

“It is one more step in allowing the community to understand what councils are all about and the breadth of things they do,” she said.

“It gives our community a good indication if we are going in the right direction – you can check the finances, the rate debt ratio and you can even check what the percentage of landfill to recycling diversion is.”

But Cr Phillips said ratepayers should be wary of comparing Horsham with much larger regional cities such as Ballarat, Geelong, Bendigo and Warrnambool.

The website includes Horsham in the list of large regional centres, however Cr Phillips said the town does not really compare to its bigger neighbours.

“One of the difficulties with Horsham is the comparison with other councils means we are grouped with regional cities,” she said.

“We really should be compared with larger rural cities. A better comparison is Swan Hill, which the website does allow you to compare Horsham to if you want.”

Council is currently speaking with the state government about the issue to see if Horsham can be grouped with more similar councils.

Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins said the website will provide Victorians with details of council performance at the click of a button.

“The Know Your Council website is all about providing local residents with more information and a greater understanding of the work their council is doing,” she said.

“It builds on the state government’s strong commitment to improving openness and accountability across Victoria’s councils.”

Some of the measures that can be compared include the cost of indoor aquatic facilities, satisfaction with community consultation and engagement, active library members, kerbside bin collections and current assets compare to current liabilities.

Labor member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford said the mandatory reporting of information allowed for trends to be identified over time.

“The website acts as a one-stop-shop for all things local government and delivers on the state government’s commitment to ensuring councils are transparent and accountable,” she said.

“For the first time residents will be able to access the details of council performance.”