Cr Malcolm was at the committee of the whole, which started at 9am, but packed up and left about 9.30am, after a heated argument with committee chairman and deputy mayor Cr Jim Hopkins.
Despite Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton leaving the meeting to talk to Cr Malcolm in the corridor outside the council chambers, Cr Malcolm did not return.
Mr Familton would not say what was discussed. Cr Malcolm has expressed misgivings in the past at the time some committee and council meetings have taken, trying to speed them up by moving that motions be put if debate has started to meander.
Approached by the Otago Daily Times after yesterday's meeting, Cr Malcolm said that, ''as a community volunteer'', councillors had to realise that if they wanted to attract credible people to stand for council, processes had to ensure meetings were ''timely and meaningful''.
He had tried to change the times council met to later in the day after canvassing people who were frustrated meetings took too long and encroached so much into their business time.
''If people have to use business time, it should be used constructively and not have to listen to waffle,'' he said.
After Cr Malcolm left the meeting, the attendance was reduced to six of the 11 councillors, the minimum required for a quorum. A few times, the meeting had to be stopped when councillors were out of the chamber. Mr Malcolm's dissatisfaction erupted during debate on the council's submission to the Department of Internal Affairs on the development contribution review discussion paper, part of the Government's ''Better Local Government Reforms''.
Cr Helen Stead had moved a recommendation and, after some questions, had made some comments.
Cr Hopkins then said he would vote against the submission because he was concerned about the effect removing development contributions would have on rates.
As he tried to explain why he opposed the motion, Cr Malcolm cut in, raising a point of order.
That was compounded by Mr Familton moving the motion be put.
As Cr Hopkins tried to explain the debate process and rule on the point of order, Cr Malcolm and some other councillors tried to speak across each other, Cr Malcolm standing, packing his bag, and walking out.
