Mid-Western Regional Council put out the call for feedback at the end of 2016, as part of the ‘Towards 2030; Community Plan’.

More than 2500 community members engaged with the survey, providing feedback via a range of methods including telephone and online surveys, a community roadshow, postcards and mail.

Council have described the result as a “success” stating they received feedback from a broad cross spectrum of the community including school-aged children.

The Community Engagement results have identified the community’s top 20 priorities or projects for future consideration by Council.

The list didn’t hold many surprises for Council, with the majority of the projects already identified as areas that required improvement.

A Mudgee Hospital upgrade was the clear winner with 44.5 per cent of the vote.

But it was entertainment options that dominated the list, with nine out of the twenty focused on introducing extra leisure and activity choices.

An indoor aquatic centre came a close second with 37.1 per cent and an outdoor water park received third spot with 34.8 per cent.

Rounding out the top 10 – return passenger trains, entertainment centre, road upgrades outside towns, children’s adventure playground, indoor sports centre, eliminate mobile blackspots and art gallery.

CCTV cameras in town centres featured as the final item listed in the top 20 – with 8.4 per cent of the vote.

The results of the Community Engagement will contribute to the current review of the Mid-Western Region 2030 Community Plan and development of the 2018-2021 Delivery Program as part of the Integrated Planning and Reporting framework for local government.