Speaking at the meeting, Mr Zelley thanked the people of Katherine for electing him, and said he enjoyed "a very successful time" as alderman.

He said his resignation was due to work commitments in Darwin forcing him to relocate.

As a result of his relocation, Mr Zelley regularly attended council meetings remotely via video link.

KTC chief executive officer Ian Bodill said Mr Zelley's resignation will be effective on March 31, and his position on the council will be open to applications from the public.

The successful applicant will be selected via popular vote by the council's remaining elected members at the April meeting.

"He (Mr Zelley) is required to resign... as he will no longer appear on the Katherine roll because of the requirement for him to enrol in Darwin within a certain period of time," Mr Bodill said in a statement.

"We received his official resignation on March 17... we will look for expressions of interest from Katherine members of the community to replace him."

Elected in 2017, Mr Zelley is the second elected member to not complete their current term, after former mayor Fay Miller retired in 2020 due to personal health reasons.

Fay Miller's retirement opened the door for Lis Clark to be elected mayor, with Kym Henderson filling the vacant alderman position left by Ms Clark's promotion.

The entire council will be up re-election later in 2021.

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