Former councillors believe Wagga should review its international sister city relationships, particularly as many were formed in the decades before instant global communication.
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Wagga councillors this week elected Cr Rod Kendall to serve as acting deputy mayor in September while mayor Greg Conkey and deputy mayor Dallas Tout attend the Historisches Stadtmauerfest Historic Wall Festival in Wagga's sister city Nordlingen in Germany.
Former councillor and deputy mayor Mary Kidson told The Daily Advertiser that the sister cities made up a small part of the budget but travel to them could be funded out of councillors' allowances instead of general spending.
"I'm not sure what the value is, to be quite truthful," she said.
"I'm not sure there is any trade advantage, there was a dairy company trying to sell yoghurt into China but that was a long time ago.
"It's just keeping up the contact these days, in my opinion."
Cr Conkey said last week that previous mayors had attended, via invitation, the medieval festival and Wagga's sister city relationship with the historic Bavarian town dated back to the 1960s.
Wagga also has a sister city with Leavenworth, Kansas in the United States, which was established in 1962 under a program started under President Ike Eisenhower to bring the world's people closer together.
Miss Wagga and Miss Community Princess winners have in the past travelled to Leavenworth, and Wagga has hosted delegations from Nordlingen, including a choir, and held fundraising events.
Wagga's third sister city relationship was established in 1988 with the City of Kunming in Yunnan Province, China.
According to the Wagga council, Kunming has hosted several exchange events and festivals drawing on the sister city relationship, including the international Horticultural Expo in 1999 and the international Tourism Festival in 2000.
"There is an occasional exchange of some tourism," Mrs Kidson said.
"As far as I know, my husband and I were the first to go to Kunming but, I stress, we paid our own way," Mrs Kidson said.
Former councillor Julian McLaren said he was in favour of keeping the Leavenworth connection, as both cities had strong ties to their respective nations' armed forces, but other sister cities should be reviewed.
"I don't think there is a clear benefit, so I would put it in the box of 'nice to have' rather than 'necessary to have'," he said.
"I'm not aware of any economic benefit it brings us, and accordingly, we need to revisit whether they remain relevant in today's age."
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