The council, at its first monthly meeting since the recent elections, agreed to re-appoint Ms Harrington without advertising the position with her initial five-year contract due to expire in May.

Councillors will return behind closed doors on Monday to decide the contract duration for the $200,000-plus position with speculation varying between another five-year deal or a lesser term of three years.

Wodonga has not appointed a chief executive officer for less than four years since Peter Marshall first occupied the role in 1995 on a four-year contract.

He successfully re-applied for the job in 1999 and earned a five-year deal.

Marshall's replacement Gavin Cator was appointed on a five-year deal, but he left late in 2001 to take up the same job at Greater Shepparton Council.

Ms Harrington has been with Wodonga Council since 2003 and recently re-elected mayor Anna Speedie said she had made an “outstanding” contribution to the city since becoming chief executive.

Wodonga's rates bills and debt levels have also reduced during Ms Harrington's time as chief executive, but the council is considering applying for an exemption to the rate cap introduced by the Victorian Government.

The city’s debt dropped to its lowest level in a decade of $25.5 million earlier this year after topping out at $33 million.

But the biggest controversy of Ms Harrington's initial term of chief executive was an admission a report on a social enterprise world forum in South Korea also attended by former councillor Lisa Mahood was largely a “cut and paste” job.

The council missed out on a $10 million federal funding application which has put a start on the Baranduda Fields sporting complex in serious jeopardy.

Council staff are recommending Baranduda Fields stage one be halted and a backlog of urgent works at existing sporting venues be promoted.

They include a $345,000 council commitment to the Birallee Park hockey field upgrade, $300,000 towards Willow Park flood-lighting and a $430,000 funding injection for the Kelly Park netball courts.