WAGGA councillors have backed the state government's decision to postpone council elections by 12 months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It comes after a notice of motion that called for the council to request local government elections to go ahead this year was not supported at Monday night's meeting.
Cr Paul Funnell, who initiated the motion, said it was a "sound and sensible" decision at the time, but as restrictions start to ease it might have been "an overkill" to have delayed elections by 12 months.
"This is about giving new councillors the opportunity to be involved in the economic recovery as early on as possible and oversee that process for the duration of their term," he said.
In other news:
Cr Tim Koschel said candidates needed "adequate time" to campaign, which he believed they would not have if the decision was reversed.
Cr Rod Kendall, likewise, said many candidates, who he has spoken to had put their plans on hold since the announcement.
"I think that it will be unfair during these really uncertain times," he said.
The motion was lost, 7 votes to 2.