The South Australian mayors and councillors who have lost their positions for failing to lodge campaign returns will get a last minute reprieve.
Local Government minister Geoff Brock has introduced an urgent amendment bill to allow an extra 10 days for the submission of the returns.
The legislation is understood to also ensure any council decisions made during the period of their ineligibility would not be invalid.
Minister Brock said the bill does not in any way excuse the 45 members who failed to lodge their returns, but removes the burden that communities would otherwise be paying to fix.
The cost to councils to hold by-elections to replace the councillors was estimated to run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The amendment Bill is expected to be passed in the lower house this week.