While MidCoast Council staff and contractors continue the mammoth flood clean up Councillors have provided some relief to struggling ratepayers.
At Wednesday's Extraordinary Council meeting the impact of the recent floods was high on the agenda.
Councillors agreed to provide some financial relief for the hardest hit.
Some of the initial measures include:
writing off any interest accrued on outstanding rates and other charges for the period between 19 May and 30 June
deferring debt recovery actions for six months, and
flexibility in applying concealed leak allowance policy to allow for water losses incurred during the flood event.
MidCoast Council Mayor, Claire Pontin said it was a good starting point.
"There is more that can be done especially at a State and Federal level, and I will keep advocating to ministers and representatives for more for our area," she said.
"However, these measures are things we have been able to do quickly and provide some breathing room for residents who need it to fully focus on recovery activities."
To allow work to continue, Councillors also voted to direct just under $10 million directly into the clean-up and restoration works.
The combined total will come from the general, water, waste and sewer funds.
Most of the funds are expected to be reimbursed through approved natural disaster funding however that is expected to take some time to become available.
In the meantime, Cr Pontin said the clean-up will continue.
"It really is a massive job ahead," she said.
"We are here to help. If you need any assistance or information, please head to the Flood Recovery Hub on our website. There's lots of information available there."
