The ballot would normally be held at the council’s regular November meeting, a week earlier, but delaying it will allow prospective Upper House election candidate and councillor Tim Quilty to attend.

Under convention, Cr Quilty will stand aside from council while campaigning.

He is expected to be endorsed as the Liberal Democrats candidate for Northern Victoria.

In 2016, before being elected to council, Cr Quilty stood for the same party in the seat of Indi in the federal election.

He referred cryptically to his candidacy on Monday night in moving the motion for the November 26 meeting.

“Just on the off chance that one of us is not available in November for reasons until the 24^th this will allow that person to vote in the mayoral election,” Cr Quilty said.

Incumbent mayor Anna Speedie did not attend this week’s council meeting.

She was a delegate to the Australian Regional Development Conference at Tweed Heads on the NSW-Queensland border.

While there Cr Speedie and her Albury counterpart Kevin Mack gave a joint speech on the Two Cities – One Community concept involving the Border councils collaborating.

Their session was due to run for 30 minutes on Monday afternoon in the Bay Room, as opposed to the Border Room, in the Twin Towns Services Club.