LIVINGSTONE Shire Council yesterday made another baby step in its steady push to brand itself as a "world-renowned" destination.

Councillors yesterday voted to move forward with a formal city status classification application to the State Government.

However, there was some humming and harring about a recommendation at yesterday's meeting to change the Livingstone Shire Council name if the city status application was successful.

A recommendation was moved to enter into a consultation phase with the community to determine an appropriate name, if city status was achieved.

At yesterday's meeting, Capricorn Coast City Council was a possible option put forward as a name.

Mayor Bill Ludwig said Livingstone businesses and other stakeholders invested a lot of time and effort marketing itself as the "Capricorn Coast".

"We don't say 'we are investing in Yeppoon' or 'we are investing in Mulambin' ... our strongest selling point is the 'Capricorn Coast'," Cr Ludwig said.

Cr Adam Belot argued against the recommendation saying he felt it unnecessary to suggest that Capricorn Coast City Council was a possible option in the motion because it would flare-up further division from outlying areas in the shire.

He said he felt it was up to the community to decide.

Cr Nigel Hutton agreed that consulting with the community about a name change was crucial if the city status application was successful.

"One of the biggest flaws with amalgamation was that the name Rockhampton Regional Council was chosen without any community consultation," he said.

If the application was successful, additional costs were expected from the rebranding process, including information technology requirements and redesigning a council logo.

In an email, Cr Glenda Mather said Local Government Minister David Crisafulli told councillors that rebranding alone would cost $2-3 million.

Cr Mather did not attend the meeting yesterday because she had commitments in Brisbane.

"To be accountable and transparent, these costings must be considered before any decision is made," she said later

"Where is the money going to come from? What priorities will be dropped from our long-term plans?

"With a debt already over $80 million, we need to have clear and certain direction before embarking on an exercise of this magnitude without costings."