Glen Innes Severn councillors last night also resolved to amend how elections of mayor and deputy mayor are run, moving the process into an extraordinary meeting at which community discussion will be banned.

Community members can still be present, but silent.

A regular meeting would be held immediately after the special election meeting and run as normal including with opportunity for public comment. Acting general manager Graham Price described the new system as a "common practice" and adopted across many councils.

Councillors Steve Toms and Col Price both spoke against the motion (Cr Jeff Smith was absent). Price argued the change was a "further erosion of public participation".

Cr Carol Sparks was last year elected mayor in a council meeting in which members of the public packed the meeting room and spoke in a way she felt was abusive. The amendment was recommended by a mediator hired to repair perceived personal grievances between councillors.

Cr Toms also spoke against the change.

"Sometimes we don't always hear what we want to hear, but that's the whole idea of having public consultation," he said.

"I can recall 13 mayoral elections where there were no issues. I think that's something for council to reflect on."

Cr Dianne Newman, who was elected deputy mayor at the same September general meeting, defended the change on the basis that it meant the leadership vote would be more "fair and honest".

Cr Frendon argued the new process would prevent a "big scene like there was last election".

Cr Col Price responded: "I didn't see it was a problem; people were participating (at last year's meeting)".

The change passed four votes to two, with Cr Andrew Parsons also voting aye.

Later in the meeting deputy mayor Newman drew attention to the cost of the code of conduct investigation process, which council business papers reveal have cost $62,000 so far.

She asked if that would include the entire cost of the review; acting GM Price said there may be some additional costs and the figure had not been finalised. (Cr Toms described the spend as "the cost of integrity"). The code of conduct investigation has yet to be made public, but "feedback" was made available to councillors in February.

Cr Toms bit a second time later in the meeting, drawing attention to an article published in the Glen Innes Examiner in March. MP Barnaby Joyce visited Glen Innes in early March shortly before the announcement of federal funding for the new netball facility. Cr Sparks' husband Badja protested Mr Joyce's visit with a pair of sandwich boards bearing an anti-coal message. Mayor Sparks didn't know about the demonstration before it happened; she was out of town on official business at the time.

Toms was officially warned twice by Mayor Sparks in the exchange. He started by expressing his appreciation of the $1.3 million subsidy Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce announced for the project, which also received state funding.

"I note the day that the local member came to announce that funding that your husband was quite antagonistic towards our local member. I just wonder how you see that building our relationships between this council, our local community and the local member?" he said.

"Councillor Toms, that's your first warning. Let's just stick to the items on the agenda please," said Mayor Sparks.

"Madam mayor it is an item on the agenda," he responded.

"Councillor Toms, that's your second warning."

The meeting moved on and the open meeting ended around 7.00pm.