The 11 elected candidates - six women and five men - will meet on January 12 for the first time to elect the mayor to replace Tim Overall, who did not stand in this election. A deputy mayor will also be elected.

Re-elected councillor Kenrick Winchester has already publicly declared his candidacy for the mayoral position.

The Liberals secured two seats, with Jacqueline Ternouth joining Louise Burton.

Former deputy mayor Michele Biscotti said business pressures precluded him from standing for the mayoral role, but he looked forward to working with the new group to deliver on some important new developments within the next few years.

He also expressed his hope that party politics would not play a role in future council decision-making.

"I understand that people are aligned to certain parties, but it is my hope that these affiliations will be put aside for the greater good of Queanbeyan-Palerang," he said.

"We need our councillors to approach local community issues in a way which is for the benefit of the ratepayers and the district as a whole."

One of the more contentious issues now on the table for the incoming council is the proposed Bungendore High School development, a state-funded program that opponents of the development say would heavily encroach on the protected, historic Mick Sherd Oval, the town's much-loved common area used by sports groups.

The high school was promised to the town by the former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro, who has since quit politics.

Mr Biscotti said the council had relatively little influence on the high school proposal, but was supportive of finding an alternative site provided it could be done within the tight 2023 delivery time frame outlined by the NSW Department of Education.

"This is a really important project for the town, and it desperately needs a new high school; we don't want to lose this project," he said.

The 11 members of the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council are Katrina Willis (Greens), Kenrick Winchester (Ind), Louise Burton (Liberal), Bryce Wilson (ALP), Esma Livermore (ALP), Jacqueline Ternouth (Liberal), Mareeta Grundy (Ind), Steve Taskovski (Ind), Edwina Webster (Ind), Michele Biscotti (Ind) and John Preston (ALP).

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