The first duties of the council included the formation of a ratepayers role, the appointment of officers, and the assessment of properties within the municipality.
[1] In 1867, three wards were created, named after the three most recent Governors of Victoria: Darling, Barkly, and Sutton.
A large gold medallion, presented by George Lansell and bearing the City of Bendigo coat of arms, was included on the chain.
At their own expense, each past mayor was asked to supply a link for the chain, engraved with their name, monogram and year of office; most surviving mayors, and the relatives of those who had died, provided a link to the chain.
The crests of each of the former Bendigo municipalities that had existed before council amalgamation were featured on individual links of the chain.
They were: Grassy Flat, Whipstick, Sandhurst, Eppalock, Diamond Hill, Fortuna, and Eaglehawk.
The new wards were: Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat, Flora Hill, North West Plains, Sandhurst, Eaglehawk; Epsom, Strathfieldsaye, and Eppalock.
The new wards were Epsom, Kennington, Whipstick, Eppalock, Lockwood, Axedale, Golden Square, Lake Weeroona, and Ravenswood.