It was only last year when a seminar was held in preparation of a population surge to 100,000 residents by 2038.

Since then the city's population has increased by 515 residents in 2019, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which factored in births and deaths, as well as those moving from other Australian towns and overseas.

The population now sits at 65,258 people living in the Wagga local government area.

Wagga City Council's regional activation director Michael Keys said the original timeline of boosting the population to 100,000 in the span of 19 years was always set to be "an ambitious task".

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Keys said the previous target will need to be revised to factor in the unprecedented impacts that have touched communities worldwide.

"It is important that we are still as a city aimed at growing and continuing to facilitate that growth," he said.

"The principles around future growth and what it is going to be based on haven't changed. It is the staging of what is required and how people respond, which is what is going to be different."

A taskforce was formed following on from the seminar last September with the purpose of identifying ideas for the city's future growth.

Committee 4 Wagga chief executive Alan Johnston said the members of the taskforce were casting their minds forward and focused on that long-term goal.

Although pandemic has caused challenges, Mr Johnston said it has also made Wagga an even more attractive option for future residents with cost-effective living, a family-friendly environment and adequate infrastructure.

"These sorts of scenarios continue to make the life of Wagga as an attractive proposition providing that there are jobs for a number of skill sets - and for both members of the family," he said.

Former Riverina MP Kay Hull, who was a panelist at last year's seminar, said the health crisis will hold the city back from reaching its goal by 2038, however no one could ever predict the exact time-frame of growth.

"I would be more inclined to ensure that we meet the needs of a population of 100,000 rather than concentrate on the growth factor," she said.

The coronavirus situation has caused many people to lose employment, which Ms Hull said might be an opportunity for those affected to look further afield at new career opportunities that could fill skill shortages.

"We have a desperate skill shortage in regional NSW and we need to look at opportunities for reskilling and employment," she said.