The question of a popularly-elected mayor has long divided council and the community but has never made it as far as the first step - a referendum of the people.

Councillors again debated the issue at a working party on Wednesday night and another report is expected to come before an ordinary meeting of council next month.

That report is likely to detail the benefits and drawbacks of a popularly-elected mayor and leave it up to councillors to vote on whether a referendum should be held to ask residents if they want to directly elect their mayor.

It will also detail the results of a phone survey commissioned by council to gauge the level of support for a referendum.

Even if a referendum was held and the vote came back yes, it would still be 2024 before Bathurst would have its first mayor elected by the public.

Deputy mayor Bobby Bourke, who has long campaigned for a referendum, told the Western Advocate on Thursday he was feeling more support for the idea from his colleagues than in previous years but he was still far from confident of getting a referendum off the ground.

He said he appreciated there were arguments for and against a popularly-elected mayor but maintained the public should at least be asked their view.

"The referendum will tell us if the public want it or not," he said. "If we have a referendum I won't be campaigning for either side, yes or no, but the community deserves a say on it."

Tell us what you think ...

Cr Alex Christian, who indicated he would support a referendum during his campaign for council, said he had now changed his mind.

Cr Christian said his time on council had shown him how "integral" the position of mayor was and he feared a referendum might deliver a result that was not in Bathurst's best interests.

"It's all about making an educated decision and I'm a good example of someone who thought from the outside a popularly-elected might sound like a good idea but now, having been here for almost two years, I can see what sort of negative impact it could have," he said.

Cr Monica Morse agreed, saying her biggest concern with a popularly-elected mayor was the fact they would be there for four years whether they were working well or not.

"The problem with a lot of referendums is that people not realise the full impact of their decision," she said.

"If we go to a popularly-elected mayor we might get someone who is not able to work with the council but you can't get rid of them.

"And I think a popularly-elected mayor might get the idea that they're more important than the other councillors and that what they have to say has more weight."

Cr John Fry also had concerns about a popularly-elected mayor and indicated he would vote against a referendum on the issue.

Footnote: Before the 2017 local government elections, the Western Advocate asked all candidates to complete a questionnaire on local issues, including whether they would support a referendum on a popularly-elected mayor.

Of the nine successful candidates, five (councillors Bourke, Christian, Jacqui Rudge, Ian North and Jess Jennings) said they would, three (councillors Morse, Graeme Hanger and Warren Aubin) said they wouldn't and Cr Fry was undecided.