THE OUTBREAK of COVID-19 brought with it lockdowns, but also a lock out from Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) meetings for both councillors and members of the public.
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Now, months on from the first case in Tamworth, the meetings are again completely open to the public as restrictions have eased.
At the start, the restrictions posed a bit of a challenge to open, transparent and informed democratic conversations, mayor Col Murray said.
"Even things like remote attendance for that short period and members of the community not being able to come in and witness it in action has been strange," he said.
"I think there's a new normal, we don't appear to be that willing to bunch up as we used to be, I'm even conscious of it standing in a queue.
"But having open council meetings better fulfills the ideals of democracy; to have people come in and witness a debate because people are interested in a lot of different topics."
First off the bat at Tuesday night's council meeting was the decision to waive fees for Tamworth Baseball Incorporated (TBI) to host their 52nd annual carnival at the June long weekend.
The local baseball association hit a home run, as TRC decided to waive an almost $5000 hire and preparation fee at the riverside fields.
TBI president David McMurray said he's expecting at least 50 teams to travel from QLD and Sydney and other parts of the state to attend.
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"It's a huge help, we've obviously kept our fees as low as possible, that will help us build up our strength and ongoing support to make it affordable for players," he said.
Councillor Russell Webb said it's fantastic to be able to waive the fees because the community will benefit financially from the event.
A report said the event is expected to bring a $543,600 economic benefit to the city.
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