Council votes not to cut Property Tax level

County Chief Executive Kevin Kelly said the 2016 budget was going to be a difficult one to frame as income would be the same but expenditure would be higher.

Additional costs which had to be met included building Ballinasloe Library, a new fire station in Connemara, re-tendering of community and leisure centres, the European Capital of Culture 2020 bid, staff pay increases and a bad debt provision of at least €1.8m, he stated.

Galway County Council has been advised that the total LPT to be collected amounts to €14.3m of which €11.4m will be retained locally, with funds from the equalization fund bringing the total value to the local authority to €12.5m – the same as 2015.

Councillors had the power to alter the LPT rate up or down by 15% - if it was reduced by that amount it would reduce the council’s income by €2.15m and see a major impact on the provision of council services, Mr Kelly stated.

It would result in 34% of households saving €13.50 a year, one third getting €34 a year while a reduction of €47 for 24% of homeowners.

Sinn Féin councillors Gabriel Cronnelly and Tom Healy as well as Independent Pat Hynes supported the full reduction. Cllr Healy said the cost to the council needed to come from central Government, who replaced direct funding to local authorities with the LPT.

Any savings they made to that was sunk into the “black hole of Irish Water”, he insisted.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors voted to retain the rate as is in order to maintain services, such as the community involvement schemes, and fund new initiatives under the council’s new economic development role.

Cllr Peter Feeney (FG) said the savings to householders would buy a bar of chocolate in exchange for the closure of libraries and the end of community and sports grants.

Six independent councillors abstained from the vote which was carried by 26 votes in favour.