This article is from page 76 of the 2009-05-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 76 JPG
EFFORTS by Kilrush Town Coun- cil to buy out of a contract that has already flushed away €305,185.58 of the council’s money, has been blocked by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
This month’s meeting of the town council was told that central Govern- ment refused to allow it get a loan to buy itself out of the contract for the public Superloo.
Last year the public toilet in the square cost the council €38,325, with an income of just €1,250.
This year the Superloo is to flush another €39,806 down the drain with an estimated income of €1,300. This will see the council losing €38,500 again this year.
The town council are bound to the contract until August 23, 2019. To remove itself from the contract, the council would have to give 12 months’ notice and pay a penalty of 25 per cent of the cost per year re- maining on the contract as well as the cost of having it removed.
Kilrush town clerk, John Corry told the members of the council on Wednesday, “The dilemma this council has is the cost of buying out Web ISe
“We have to remain in budget for the year. We are looking at budget- ing the €120,000 (buy out) for the
next year which would be a huge increase in the annual rate of valua- tion,’ he warned.
“We got a loan for Henry Street, why can’t we get a loan?” asked Cllr Deirdre Culligan (Ind).
“We have approached the depart- ment about a loan and they said no way, said Mr Corry.
‘The rent we are paying for the next three years would pay that (the loan) off with no rate increase,’ argued Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG).
“We all agree it is crazy, but we cannot raise the loan. Can I ask you to go back to the company?” said the mayor, Cllr Liam O’Looney.
Town manager Bernadette Kinsella told the councillors that their options were restricted.
“You either borrow, which there 1s a limit on nationally, or you look at the levies. You also need to consider what other facility do you plan to provide given Kilrush is a heritage town.”
Cllr Culligan pointed out that the council is not required to provide such facilities.
“If the Government is tying our hands and insisting we waste money, it’s no wonder the country is in the state it is in. If they are letting us squander money on a toilet and won’t let us buy ourselves out,” she said.
Cllr McMahon Jones asked for the costing of a small building for a to1- Colm Kom orom chek, armel oy