BALLARAT Mayor Stephen Jones was close to tears as he presided over what is likely to be his last council meeting.The nine City of Ballarat councillors gathered in the town hall for the final time last night, telling the gallery and each other what a good job they had done.All thanked council staff for their support and hard work and most expressed their hope of being returned by voters in this week's election.Cr Jones said his time on council had been "fantastic"."I won't go any further because I'll get too emotional," he said."I just hope we can continue on after the weekend." Cr Gary Anderson will not be back, choosing not to contest the election.Last night, he praised his colleagues for handling the pressure put on them, saying the past six months had been "a bit of a debacle, thanks to the media".Cr David Vendy also spoke, saying councillors had not knowingly done anything wrong."Anyone who says Ballarat is not in the best position since the gold-rush days doesn't know what they're talking about," he said.He said he and his colleagues had been unfairly treated, but had been "big enough and strong enough" to handle the pressure."If we don't get elected, we'll get on with life," he said.Cr Herman Ruyg said he did not expect to be returned to council."On Monday morning, I'll be a pensioner and gladly so, with a big smile on my face," he said.Cr Ian Jolly said councillors had all worked together despite any differences, for the betterment of Ballarat.Cr Peter Innes echoed the comments and said he would disappointed if the end came at the weekend, while Cr Craig Fletcher and Cr John Philips said they had enjoyed representing ratepayers and hoped they would be given another chance.Cr Des Hudson described his time on council as "a privilege", and said he would love to be able to look into a crystal ball and see himself on council after the votes were counted.Voting in the election closes at 5pm tomorrow, with at least provisional results expected to be known on Sunday.