The net operating result of $1.13 million was 6 per cent over budget, but Albury councillors are prepared to wear the early financial pain before banking on the regional facility become less of a regular drain on ratepayer funds.

The council has budgeted $1.3 million for MAMA in 2017-18 and last financial year cost $1.39 million with the figure blowing out by $250,000 in the last three months.

Visitor numbers dipped to 75,000 last financial year including 24,675 people from outside the region.

Another 17 per cent of visitors took part in an education program, collection tour or exhibition.

Cr David Thurley defended the cost to run MAMA.

“Yes it costs the community money, but so does the Botanic Gardens and so do our sports fields,” he said.

“It is what a well-rounded and full city deserves to have.”

Mayor Kevin Mack said MAMA was still a relative newcomer to the regional and national arts scene.

“You’ve got to crawl before you can walk,” he said.

“Ultimately MAMA is getting up on its legs and eventually with the Archibalds coming to town and other great exhibitions it will start to walk and then run.

“We need to have balance in our community and not be about one particular thing.”

Cr Darren Cameron queried the extent of revenue generated by MAMA outside of council funding with the amount being $436,000.

He maintains the council should have waited until the NSW government matched the amounts committed by the federal government and council to build MAMA.

“People say ‘you must hate art’. That is not so,” he said.

“I used to go to the old art gallery regularly and particularly enjoyed the Russell Drysdale collection.

“It is quite ironic that the state government now has available a large tranche of funding for those sort of projects.

“Timing is everything I suppose."