A departure such as theirs would usually be marked with hugs and gifts, but in these coronavirus times, tributes were paid over Zoom at the current council's final meeting on Tuesday night.

Mayor Jenny O'Connor thanked Cr Murdoch for her 15 years of service on Indigo Council.

"Barb's been mayor and deputy mayor throughout that time and has been an incredibly committed representative for the community of Chiltern," she said.

"She's a very popular councillor, people trust Barb, and at every election have voted for her in large numbers because I know that people feel that Barb is there for their best interests and works very hard for her community."

Cr Murdoch was known as the type of councillor to be at every meeting and event, and be talking to residents in the shire.

As a former Labor candidate for Benambra, her party connections also opened doors for the council during discussions.

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Speaking at Tuesday's meeting, Cr Murdoch described herself as a "Chiltern person" who had run the supermarket when she first became a councillor, then learnt a lot more about Indigo Shire.

"I'm just very thankful to the community for all the help and for putting me into council," she said.

"It has been an absolute pleasure."

Cr James Trenery was also thanked for his eight years on the council - both for disagreements and his "happy nature".

While Cr Murdoch is a Labor member, Cr Trenery is on the other side as a Liberal member, but both agreed politics did not matter when it came to working together for Indigo Shire.

Cr O'Connor said they had worked through many strong differences of opinion over the years, but always collaborated for the good of the council, and she was sad he is not running again.

"James has been a very strong advocate for his community, not just Yackandandah, but right across the shire," she said.

Cr Trenery said he was not running for another term as a councillor because he was moving out of the shire.

"I've had disagreements with just about every councillor on here and worked with every councillor," he said.

"It's amazing how things get repaired because we're focused on the issues, we're focused on what's good for our community."

Cr Bernard Gaffney described his colleague as "no shrinking violet", but they became friends despite their differences.

"He has principles that he's stood by, he's a man of conviction," he said.

"I congratulate him and he'll be missed by this council."