Council has for the past six months, commenced its meetings at 4pm. At the time the alteration was made, councillors were convinced it was the right decision, to ensure safety for the councillors and senior staff travelling between Stawell and St Arnaud.

Concerns had been raised after meetings were known to finish well after midnight, after starting at 7.30pm.

Councillors reconsidered the earlier motion at its statutory meeting and decided to alter the starting time for meetings to 6pm.

Meetings will still be held on the fourth Thursday of each month and will be conducted in both Stawell and St Arnaud.

The final meeting for the new year will be held this Thursday night in Stawell, with the commencement time remaining at 4pm.

New meeting schedule for 2010: January 28 - St Arnaud, February 25 - Stawell, March 25 - St Arnaud, April 22 - Stawell, May 13 (budget) - Stawell, May 27 - St Arnaud, June 24 - Stawell, July 29 - St Arnaud, August 26 - St Arnaud, September 23 - St Arnaud, October 21 - Stawell, November 18 - Stawell, December 2 (mayoral election) - To Be Announced, December 16 - Stawell.