Cr Green was elected mayor by her fellow councillors 12 months ago, and will stand for the position again is she is elected to council next week.

However, she said the community has enough knowledge to elect the shire’s mayor themselves.

Even if next week’s referendum is successful in allowing the community to elect the mayor, it will not happen for four more years.

At next week’s election voters will be required to answer a referendum question: “Do you favour the election of the mayor by election for a four-year term and without changing the number of councillors from nine, including the mayor.”

If successful, the change will see a mayor directly elected by the people for a four year term at the next council election in 2012.

Whatever way the referendum result goes, councillors will continue to elect a mayor from their ranks each 12 months until the next election in four years.

The council decided back in February to ask the community if they wanted to elect a mayor directly, after Cr Bob McWilliam raised the idea.

Cr McWilliam had failed in a previous attempt to get the council to approve a referendum on the matter.

A mayor must either be elected by the councillors every 12 months, or by the people at the council election every four years.

Candidates would have to nominate for mayor before the election if the public was voting for a mayor.

The other eight councillors would then come from the regular election.

Voting is compulsory at the September 13 local council election.