Under the new code of meeting practice adopted by Wagga City Council, councillors can now freely attend their meetings via audio-visual link.

The rule change solidifies the temporary permissions put in place at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which expired at the end of June.

Council's chief operating officer Scott Gray said the change provides added "flexibility" for councillors to participate in meetings they may have otherwise missed.

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But councillor Tim Koschel fears the update could cause a dramatic decrease in the number of people physically attending each meeting, which he believes will harm discussion and frustrate residents.

"If you're looking at someone on a computer screen the whole time it's very hard to judge people, to read people and for them to involve themselves in the conversation," he said.

"When the community voted us in they expected us to be there in person having debates face to face."

Cr Koschel said there were valid reasons for people to not attend in person such as being away, unwell or having family responsibilities, but he feared the loosened rules could be taken advantage of.

"If you just want to sit at home on the lounge then that's a different story," he said.

He said requirements should have been established, instead of giving councillors "free rein".

Fellow councillor Dan Hayes strongly supports the ability to attend via audio-visual link, which he said will ultimately allow councillors to take part in more meetings.

"This increases the capacity for us to be able to participate in discussions and have our vote which is what we were elected to do," he said.

"What we found in the past, pre-pandemic, was that if you were away, you simply missed the meeting and didn't get to have your say."

Cr Hayes said he personally didn't find there to be any significant differences between attending meetings in person and virtually.

"You can still hear everything and participate fully," he said.

Former mayor Kevin Wales wasn't happy with the change and argued that all discussions in council meetings "should be face to face".

"To hide behind just doing it with Zoom - I think that's not on," he said.

Wagga Residents and Ratepayers Association secretary Lynne Bodell said she was "cautiously" supportive of the increased freedom.

"Overall, I think it's a positive thing because in this busy world being at a particular meeting is not always possible," she said.

"But if it does become an issue they should address it."

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