ORANGE City Council's first electronic meeting in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic was expected to revolve around the virus and proceedings followed that vein.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Councillors endorsed actions taken so far to halt the spread of coronavirus, but councillor Kevin Duffy added a provision, not supporting Orange Farmers Market being held on council land, saying they had the option of farmgate sales.
The market is usually held at the Northcourt or Orange Showground.
Councillor Joanne McRae did not support the motion, saying discouraging people from attending was enough, but councillor Jason Hamling said the rhetoric from government was confusing and allowing the market to go ahead, but discouraging people from going would be contradictory.
"It's putting a pretty strange message out there," he said.
Councillors raised their hands when they wished to speak - most appeared to log in from home, but some appeared to be logging in from separate locations in the council building.
One development application passed for industrial and storage buildings in Clergate Road, in addition to a motion to convert Moulder Park netball courts into a bicycle course and insurance help for community groups running charity events.
Read the live blog from the night below...