This article is from page 16 of the 2012-05-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
AFTER A year of strictly balancing the books, Kilrush Town Council has a surplus fund to support two local projects and pay off an old debt.
According to the council’s Annual Financial Statement, the savings were achieved through cuts in expenditure during the year across most services divisions, strict budgetary controls and prudent financial management. This all resulted in an overall surplus of € 2,165 for the year 2011.
In light of the results, the council agreed to set aside € 40,000 for development works at the proposed Cooraclare Road Sports Development and € 12,000 for the recently adopted shop front grant scheme.
A further € 20,000 is to be used to pay off the terminating contract for the controversial superloo.
Welcoming the outcome of the fiscal report for 2011, Cllr Liam Wil- liams (FG) said that every effort must be made to ensure that the Cooraclare Sports Facility remains top of the town council’s agenda.
“We must make every effort to get grants for the facility. It has to be a priority for this year,” he said.
Cllr Paul Moroney (Ind) agreed that € 20,000 towards riding the town of the superloo was money well spent.
It was not easy for the council’s financial department, led by Colette Costello, to balance the 2011 budget however as the “percentage yields from rates and housing rents are a reflection of the difficult financial situation business and house holds presently find themselves in.”
Town Clerk John Corry told council members, however, that the rate collection “compares favourably to the towns and is the largest collection rate in the county.” He said legal proceedings would be a last resort in an effort to secure money owed from rents and rates, as the council tries to “focus on people who are in difficulty” and try to facilitate tenants.
To date, 76 per cent of commercial rates have been collected, the same amount as 2010, while 90 per cent of rents have been paid, down three per cent on the previous year. There was also a sharp reduction in income relating to Development Contributions in 2011, which according to council officials reflects the current economic climate. The development income for 2011 had fallen to € 3,397 from a high of € 273,096 in 2007.
Mayor of Kilrush, Cllr Ian Lynch (FG) told the members it was a challenge at the beginning of 2011 to work out how the ever-decreasing budget would provide services for the town and its citizens.
Having achieved that with a surplus, the mayor said he hoped that Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government would consider such achievements of town councils as he considers their fate.