Council fails to reach budget agreement

Cavan County Council elected representatives have refused to pass the Draft Budget put before members for the coming year.

The local authority councillors spent over four hours discussing the income and expenditure figures for 2017 before finally adjourning the meeting to next Tuesday.

The impasse stems from the Executive's push to go ahead with rates harmonisation.

This would mean that the rates figure for Cavan Town would come in line with the rest of the county, representing a reduction in costs for business in the county town and a rise in rates for business outside the old Town Council urban area.

County Manager, Tommy Ryan, said that it best served the “long term financial strategy” of the county to execute the rates harmonisation in 2017 rather than wait to the 2024 deadline.

After extended negotiations with the party whips the meeting failed to reach a consensus.

Director of Services, Des Maguire, told councillors if they failed to go ahead with the equalisation programme they would have to cut €523,000 from the proposed budget. But the councillors held firm in their opposition to the proposal and it was agreed to adjourn the meeting until next Tuesday.

Cllr John Paul Feeley said the councillors were adamant the two options put to members would not be progressed.

He stated that if the matter is not resolved on Tuesday next, the elected representatives will seek further adjournments: “Which we will do, if we have to,” he concluded.