Wagga City Council will need to find more than $100,000 extra to pay for its 2020 local government election, after projected costs increased 34 per cent on the last trip to the ballot box.
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The bill for council is expected to be $425,868, compared to the $318,992 it cost in 2016.
According to the NSW Electoral Commission, the costs of running the election have risen because of a number of factors.
The commission cited the price of hiring venues, paying staff and hikes in the cost of paper, postage and energy.
The number of voters is also expected to jump by about four per cent.
A spokesperson said the cost estimates given to councils were for "guidance only" and that local government bodies were billed only for the actual costs.
Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said that while the financial help from the state government was welcome, couuncil was still facing a 34 per cent hike in its costs.
"That's at a time when, due to rate-pegging, we can only increase our own rates by 2.6 per cent," Councillor Conkey said.
"They've got this big boot between our shoulder blades, pinning us down to a 2.6 per cent increase when they can increase their charges whatever percentage they like."
Wagga is not the only council facing a hefty hike in the cost of democracy.
Coolamon Shire, which in 2016 avoided a full election because only nine people nominated to fill a total of nine positions, is going to need to find $43,714 to pay for the 2020 ballot. Previously, the cost was just $9000.
Mayor John Seymour described the likely increase as ridiculous.
"It is an enormous increase. You've really got to question why," he said.
"We will have to try to convince the community that something has to give you get hit with a cost like this."
The amalgamated council of Cootamundra-Gundagai paid out $73,000 for its last election. In 2020, the cost is up 120 per cent to an estimated $160,860.
Like Wagga's Cr Conkey, Cootamundra-Gundagai mayor Abb McAlister is disappointed the rise is so much higher than the 2.6 per cent councils have been allowed to increase their rates.
Cr McAlister said the cost of the election would swallow up about half of the additional income the council was expecting to garner from the increase in rates.
At Murrumbidgee, the cost is likely to be $41,093, up 105 per cent on the $20,000 of the last poll.
Snowy Valleys is looking at an increase of 110 per cent from $75,000 to $157,154, while Leeton's costs are expected to double from $54,000 to $108,851.
