The formal meeting room has been on the second floor of the building since it opened in 1976.

The city council’s infrastructure and works manager Theo Panagopoulos said the work was expected to be completed by July-August.

“The main thinking (for the change) is security because at the moment the public access to the current chamber and committee rooms lets the public through the whole building,” he said.

“This will mean all public access will be on the ground floor and the rest is for staff.”

The new chamber and adjoining meeting room will be in the west wing of the ground floor which has previously been occupied by 30 to 40 staff who have moved to the first floor.

Mr Panagopoulos said the departure of North East Water staff from the building in 2013 had opened the space for the shift of the chamber.

He said he could not say how much the creation of the new chamber would cost with a contract only let for demolition work rather than construction at this stage.

Former mayor John Watson told last week’s council meeting that he hoped the new chamber would encourage greater interest with people drawn by lights visible from the ground floor.

His father Ian was a councillor at the first meeting in the $2.7 million building on December 1, 1976.

The 12 councillors then were all men with the city’s first female councillor, Pam Stone, elected the following year.

The fourth female mayor of Wodonga Anna Speedie will preside when the new chamber hosts its first council meeting.