Concern about the ongoing costs associated with the East Gippsland Shire's involvement in the Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) hearings was raised at last week's council meeting.

Manager of Place and Community, Jodie Pitkin, told the council meeting that councillors would be "acutely aware of the financial and human resources costs that being an active participant in this process results in".

The hearing has been running for 35 days and is scheduled to conclude on Thursday (tomorrow).

Council at its meeting on December 1 last year, resolved unanimously to oppose the mine based on information contained in a technical review that highlight shortcomings in the EES documentation.

In February this year, the shire provided the Advertiser with figures that indicated that legal and other costs involved in representing the community in opposing the mine had ballooned to $630,000.

At the time, legal costs were estimated to be just shy of half a million dollars, but it's anticipated those costs will further increase.

The Advertiser this week asked the shire for an update of those costs and are still waiting for them to be provided.