IN an email to all 28 county councillors on Monday, Clare County Council chief executive, Tom Coughlan said €75,000, which had been earmarked for the development of Ennis library, would instead be distributed to all four municipal districts and allocated according to population.
“I have again reviewed the proposed budgetary allocation for 2015 and it has been determined that a sum of €75,000, which had been provided in respect of advance cost for the Ennis library development, may not be provided from the revenue account in 2015,” Tom Coughlan said.“Accordingly, I have suggested to the Corporate Policy Group that the sum of €75,000 be made available to the municipal districts and that this sum be allocated proportionately on a population basis to each municipal district,” he added.
Meanwhile, the council chief executive also referred to the report issued on Friday, September 26, which, in the context of the Local Property Tax, set out the financial position of the council.
“That report identifies risk factors pertaining to the finances of Clare County Council and, in particular, refers to the fact that the council has incurred approximately €800,000 relating to February storm damage, which posed a significant risk for the current year, if a facility to recoup that expenditure was not forthcoming,” Mr Coughlan revealed.
“Since that report was circulated, the council has been advised that a claim for recoupment in respect of the expenditure on February storm damage may be submitted to the department. This notification addresses what was a significant risk and therefore the council may wish to consider additional expenditure in the current year and, subject to a positive financial outcome for the year, provisions for capital related expenditure in 2015. This matter was considered by the Corporate Policy Group at a meeting on Friday, October 3, and I attach, for your consideration, a schedule of potential additional expenditure areas, in respect of the current year and suggested potential capital expenditure provisions for 2015 to be considered when the Annual Financial Statement for 2014 is completed. The matter of the additional expenditure for 2014 can be considered at the October council meeting,” the email stated.
“The expenditure provisions in respect of 2014 include the provision for additional roads-related expenditure in each municipal district in the sum of €50,000 per district. The provision also includes a sum of €50,000 in respect of assistance to community playgrounds. It is considered that this sum of €50,000 would represent an allocation to the community groups in respect of two years’ costs,” Mr Coughlan said.
Therefore the revised General Municipal Allocation (GMA) allocations would read as follows: West Clare €56,000, Ennis €54,000, Shannon €44,200 and Killaloe €37,700.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.