Reports this week have revealed the close links between two Queensland councils and industrial giant Adani.

Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow and Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill have received thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts and hospitality from Adani, the company behind the planned Carmichael coal mine.

Cr Strelow received over $1,600 in gifts from Adani during an official trip to India earlier this year, which were recorded on Rockhampton Regional Council's official register and displayed at council chambers in hard copy, but not published online.

Cr Hill has published online a declaration of over $1,300 in hospitality gifts from Adani, including $1,267 in airfares, a $147 dinner and $51 in transport.

The two councils have agreed to pay for a $30 million airstrip at the proposed Carmichael coal mine.

Neither of the mayors declared the gifts as a potential conflict of interest when discussing the Adani airport deal in council.

The Rockhampton council says its mayor is not legally required to publish the gifts online because her visit to India was in an official capacity.

“We note while one Mayor [Cr Hill] took the additional step of recording it in a different way [online], this isn't required under the [Local Government Regulation] Act,” a Rockhampton spokesperson said.

“No other council which took part in the trip did so.”

Five regional mayors travelled on the trip to India at the invitation of Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Townsville City Council's recent announcement that it would help fund the airstrip has not gone down will with some locals, who argue that the company should be able to cover the costs.

The council is putting in up to $18.5 million to finance the airstrip at the proposed Carmichael mine site.

Rockhampton Regional Council will contribute to the project too, but is yet to announce how much it will put in.

The councils say they have struck a deal with Adani to source the bulk of its mine and construction fly-in-fly-out workforce from the two cities.

“Why does a billionaire want two councils in Queensland to pay $36 million for an airstrip?” asked Peter Newey, convenor of the Townsville Residents and Ratepayers Association.

“He [Gautam Adani] would be able to afford at least two dozen of them and then gold plate them.

“It just doesn't make sense.”

Townsville City Council says it will seek a guarantee from Adani to refund money if the Carmichael project does not proceed.

But Cr Hill also wants construction on the airstrip to start this year, even though Adani has not yet secured the full $16 billion in financing that it needs.

Even though Cr Hill signed documents at a recent media conference, the council is still in commercial negotiations with Adani.

She said this is why the council had not released a cost-benefit analysis of the deal.

“Once we've signed all the deals, once we're able to make announcements, we'll provide information accordingly,” she said.

“I think ratepayers will get value for money.

“They'll get it through the money coming back [into Townsville] through the jobs.”

In its most recent update, Adani said it did not expect to secure financing until next March, and still insists that it needs a loan from the Federal Government's North Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF).