A Nambucca Shire councillor wants a policy that any delegation to a minister be brought to the council's attention.

Paula Flack's motion is expected be discussed at tonight's council meeting.

Ms Flack is also the president of the Nambucca Valley Conservation Association and she says the council was not formally told about a recent delegation to Lands Minister Tony Kelly, seeking funding for the dredging of a navigational channel in the Nambucca River.

She says conservationists do not want the river dredged, fearing development and environmental impacts.

Ms Flack says a recent study shows bank stabilisation in the estuary is a bigger concern.

"In fact, they put bank stabilisation as the number one priority that council should be focusing on and the second one is raising public awareness about the impacts of boating in the estuary the actual concept of dealing with sediment in the estuary was 14 out of 26 priorities in that study so we think that council's getting it very wrong," she said.

Nambucca Shire Council's general manager says the dredging work would cost about $500,000.

Michael Coulter says the issue of dredging the lower estuary is a community issue, with almost 6,000 signatures collected in support of it.

He says it has been raised in relation to navigation concerns, the potential danger for fishing boats and recreational users crossing the bar.

"Well, the purpose of council's or the delegation by myself from the Mayor to meet Tony Kelly was simply to seek his reaction to the availability of funding for minor dredging for a navigation channel for recreational craft, it was simply limited to that, there were no other proposals put to the Minister by council," he said.