Cr West joins a growing list of candidates who have indicated either verbally or officially that they are standing for Cowra Shire Council.

Current councillors Ruth Fagan, MIchael Nobes and Judi Smith have all indicated they are standing as have new candidates Nicole Kiss, Donna Peters, Alex Cozadinos and Sharon D'Elboux.

With 22 years experience on Cowra Shire Council and 13 as mayor Cr West says he brings a considerable amount of experience to the role.

Despite his longevity in both roles Cr West said: "I don't intent to rest on my laurels".

He does however envisage that the next three years could be his final term serving the Cowra community.

"If supported by the community initially and then by the Councillors I would seek to continue as mayor for a couple of years with the view to then moving aside," he said.

Reflecting on his time in the civic roles Cr West said its been "a privilege representing the entire community and working with a myriad of tremendous organisations, groups and individuals which make Local government enjoyable and stimulating".

Looking ahead he believes Cowra is in for an exciting time with a new hospital redevelopment taking shape, along with water security investigations into underground water in the Billimari area and the State Government's announcements regarding Wyangala Dam.

"Telecommunication limitations also form an area of strong advocacy along with rail and improved transport infrastructure," he said.

As for the possibility of working with a number of new faces after the September elections Cr West is looking forward to the opportunity.

"One of the great strengths in successful Local Government areas is stability where there is open and robust conversations about issues on the table resulting predominately in a unified and collegiate voice," he said.

With four new candidates already indicating they will stand and the likelihood of more to come Cr West encouraged all to attend forums planned for July 16 and 17 at the Cowra Civic Centre.

Five of Cowra's current candidates are women, with one of the forums specifically targeted at assisting women candidates.

This forum will be lead by president of the Australian Local Government Women's Association, Lithgow councillor Cassandra Coleman.

"There is appropriately a focus on more women being involved which is a welcome move," Cr West said.

"It's encouraging to see more women expressing an interest.

"Anyone interested in being a Councillor should be encouraged to consider these information sessions, if they haven't already.

"Candidates can also talk to a (current) Councillor, as the learning curve can be steep and the roles and responsibilities varied but specific and in some cases almost contradictory," he said.

Along with encouraging more women to stand Cr West added: "There needs to be a focus on creating an environment where more people of all ages who are interested in Local Government are able to engage and understand the way the Local Government works", an issue he says is "a challenge for Local Government in general".

"However the time requirements can make being a councillor onerous on occasions and the need to be guided by Regulatory obligations can prove frustrating.

"There are also budget constraints to be mindful of as Local government are very reliant on State and Federal government funding," he add.

The Cowra Shire Council elections will be held on Saturday, September 4.