The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
PEOPLE in Killaloe have been urged to cast their votes to elect up to nine new community councillors for the town.
Candidates for election are invited to contact the chairperson, Graham Lightfoot, at killaloecommunitycouncil@gmail.com for nomination papers, which will have to be returned by this Friday June 17.
A new Community Council in Killaloe has now been incorporated and registered with the Companies Registration Office as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) under the auspices of Muintir na Tíre, which supports the establishment and development of community councils throughout Ireland.
According to the Census, the electorate in the Killaloe Electoral Division comprises of about 1,600 eligible voters, who will be able to vote electronically and in person at a location during the last weekend in June.
A steering group is now preparing for the initial election of up to nine community councillors, which will take place on June 24 to 27, with the results being announced on Sunday, July 10.
The steering group will then hand over the governance of the Community Council to the elected community councillors.
In an interview with the Clare Champion, Mr Lightfoot said the new body could act as a conduit to apply for funding to different bodies to implement different actions and developments that were recently highlighted in the Ballina Killaloe Town Enhancement Plan.
Representatives from KCC met with Waterways Ireland recently and hope to conduct discussions with this agency concerning how the proposed new Greenway between Limerick and Scariff could benefit Killaloe.
Asked if KCC would deal with any issues in Ballina in view of community cross border co-operation for most local developments, Mr Lightfoot recalled the possibility of having a joint council covering the two towns was discussed at a public meeting a few years ago.
However, he confirmed this concept didn’t work out as a joint steering group ceased to function.
Following an approach by rural development officer, Seamus Murrihy last year, it was decided to concentrate solely on setting up a new community council for Killaloe, which would only have to deal with one local authority – Clare County Council.
However, he pointed out the possibility of having a joint community council could be looked at again in the future.
He said representatives from businesses and other organisations could also be elected on to the new board of the community council like what is in place in Scariff and other locations.
Killaloe Community Council CLG will promote through collaborative and inclusive processes the education, cultural and economic welfare of the whole community of Killaloe.
It represents the community as a whole in dealings with local government, statutory bodies and other agencies, in seeking, when considered necessary, technical, financial or other assistance in the promotion of the common good.
It provides advice and assistance, where possible, to the local authority and other statutory bodies in the exercise of their functions in the locality including but not restricted to the representation of the range of views of the community in respect of strategies, policies, projects or other proposals of such bodies likely to impact on the community as a whole.
Find out what’s happening at Killaloe Community Council by going to its website, killaloecommunitycouncil.wordpress.com and on its FaceBook page, https://www.facebook.com/Killaloe-Community-Council-101237555925364.
