The decision by Armidale Regional Council to withdraw from Evocities from the end of June has left five major regional cities continuing their efforts to encourage metropolitan residents to move to regional NSW.
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Evocities Chair and Albury city mayor, Cr Kevin Mack released a statement to the media saying he believed Armidale's departure would open the door for other large regional centres to join.
"Discussions are underway with Regional Cities NSW to explore opportunities for an expansion or renewal of the Evocities campaign to ensure we can continue to collaborate to attract important skills to our regions and showcase our amazing lifestyle offer to new residents" Cr Mack said.
Cr Mack's comments come amid fears that without Armidale, the program's future is in jeopardy.
As the seek another city to take Armidale's place, Armidale Regional Council mayor Simon Murray said he could understand why.
"If they want to continue operating with the same income, because Wagga and Orange have pulled out, they will have to find other cities to provide other sources of revenue," Cr Murray said.
The program was costing Armidale Regional Council $80,000 per year.
Cr Murray said Cr Mack had been a strong supporter of Evocities. He said the Albury mayor came to Armidale last year to spruik the benefits of the Evocities program to the council.
But it was clearly to no avail, with the Armidale council making the decision this week to quit Evocities.
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In his statement, Cr Mack thanked Armidale council for its role in Evocities to date.
"Of course we're disappointed that Armidale has opted to withdraw but it remains a fantastic regional city with so much to offer and we wish them all the best as regional NSW continues to thrive and grow," he said.
"We will continue discussions with other interested parties and welcome the opportunity to present to the Regional Cities NSW Alliance in the near future."
The program, which originally consisted of seven regional councils pooling resources to create more awareness of opportunities available in regional NSW, has existed for nearly a decade.
However, Armidale had grown sceptical about the returns it had gotten from its investment.
