A draft Code of Meeting Practice presented at Tuesday's meeting recommended the current 4pm start be retained, but Councillor Rob Pollock successfully moved to ammend it.

Although Cr Harding had originally voted in favour of afternoon meetings, she supported the return to daytime meetings, as did councillors Danielle Brice and Lindsay Brown. 

Crs Neil Burnside, Milton Leslight and Liz Innes wanted to retain the afternoon start. 

“Later meetings enable people who work to come to meetings,” Cr Burnside said. 

“I thought we would be right on the money by moving them to 5pm.”

Cr Leslight said the afternoon meetings were “better attended”. 

“When we had daytime meetings, the debate dragged out,” he said. 

“The efficiency is far improved.”

Councillors Peter Schwarz and Fergus Thomson were absent. 

Cr Brice also successfully moved that the council investigate the costs of live-streaming meetings on the internet. 

“Technology has changed and I believe this is the way of the future,” Cr Brice said. 

“It would improve behaviour in council.”

The code is now on exhibition and council is seeking feedback until Thursday, November 27. 

The draft code aims to encourage more community involvement in council meetings and for the first time includes practice notes and appendices to help people understand Eurobodalla’s meeting procedures.

"We would like as many people as possible to attend our council meetings so the draft code proposes to hold them during the day from 10am to 2pm," Cr Brown said.

"We trialled afternoon/evening meetings but found the numbers didn’t increase and that people who did attend had to travel considerable distances across our shire at night.

"Our Code of Meeting Practice is at the core of how we run our twice monthly meetings and it is now both a workable and easily understood document in line with other councils.

"I urge residents to have a say."

The code can be seen at Eurobodalla Shire Council's libraries, the Moruya customer service centre and on council’s website www.esc.nsw.gov.au.