‘We will maintain a steady ship’

There is no rates increase in County Cavan for the third year running as Cavan County Council, mindful of the pressures facing business, commits to running services on significantly reduced funding. Cavan County Council's budget for running a vast array of services including roads, housing, water, waste management and library services in 2011 is pitched at €63,329,571 a reduction of €2,234,598 on the 2010 figure. The annual rate to be levied on the county's 1,993 commercial properties is once again set at €56.85, meaning that there has been no increase in the rate since 2008. The total estimated income provided for in the budget, exclusive of rates, amounts to €52,756,223 leaving a balance of €10,573,348 to be raised by way of the rateable demand. County manager Jack Keyes presented the budget to the county council at a special meeting on Wednesday of last week. He told councillors that if the council was to further cut financial outlay on particular services those services would cease to function. However, he assured the council that they were not cutting any services and he looked forward to the implementation of important development projects in the county in the immediate future such as new inner relief roads for Ballyconnell and Cavan Town as well as the Belturbet bypass. In recommending that there should be no increase in the rate for 2011 the county manager said that the council was aware of the pressure businesses were under at the present time. In speaking with a wide variety of business people, he felt assured by their view that they were getting a reasonable return on the money paid in their rates for services provided by the local authority. “It is our intention to maintain a steady ship in that regard,†stated the county manager. The book of estimates revealed the austere financial times in which we are now living with a 25% reduction in planning applications and the reduced income from facilities such as the Corranure landfill and other civic amenity sites in the county. The county council's own contribution to local road maintenance is reduced by €450,000 to €2,750,000 while the book fund for the library service has been cut from €80,000 to €30,000 although €1.7m is earmarked for the continued running of the library service over the coming year. On the positive side, money raised through the non-principal residence tax has been a bonus. The council has provided for receipts of €700,000 under this heading, an increase of €200,000 on the amount raised from this source in 2010. The huge difference between income and expenditure across all council services was stressed on a number of occasions by the county council's head of finance Des Maguire, who explained in consummate detail the council's 2011 service programme and budgetary strategy. He said it was important to recognise that the annual rate for County Cavan was the seventh lowest in the country and was €8.84 below the national average. In effect it meant that 1,370 of the county's commercial properties were liable for a rate of €43.03 a week or less with 623 required to pay above that amount. He further explained that 556 commercial properties were chargeable for a rate of €13.88 a week or less. On the other side of the coin, he acknowledged that there were a small number of large ratepayers in the county. Reflecting on 2010, Mr. Keyes, said that it was a good year for County Cavan in terms of the favourable recognition the county received nationally. In this regard he mentioned the winning of the taoiseach's award, the business award, the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil, the ongoing plans for the geopark and the commencement of the Castlesaunderson scout campus. Even though the rate is held at €56.85 for another year the projected increase in income from rates to the council of €247,07600 for 2011 is explained by new business coming on stream and related to that the revision in rateable valuation that is taking place nationally. The income derived from rates represents 16.7% of total income generated by the council. For council members' comments on the budget, see this week's Anglo-Celt.