Council pledges blitz on household charge refuseniks as budget slashed

By TONY GALVIN A MAJOR blitz on householders who have not registered and paid their household charge is to be launched by Galway Co Council in an effort to plug a €3.1 million hole in their budget, which has been imposed by the Government.[private] Council officials have been contacted by the Dept of the Environment and formally advised that as a direct result of the 44 per cent non-compliance rate in Co Galway, their general funding allocation is being slashed accordingly. County Manager Martina Maloney told members of the council that they could pass a motion rejecting the cut but that wouldn't solve her problem. She had an instruction from the Department of the Environment to re-forecast the Co Galway budget and she had no choice but to progress the matter. She described the situation as 'challenging' and expected that some planned projects might have to be deferred. 'Each item will have to be looked at and I expect we'll still come up short,' she warned. Under the heading Revised 2012 Allocations the communiqué from the Department of the Environment reads: 'The revised allocation for Galway Co Council consists of the following elements: The original allocation of €28,105,841; less €3,119,341, reflecting an adjustment based on the level of compliance achieved to date of 56 per cent.' Business was adjourned at the council's monthly meeting on Friday to allow time to debate this bombshell. What followed was one of the most acrimonious and charged debates heard in the chamber for many years. Adding to the tension was a call by Cllr Jimmy McClearn (FG) for a roll call to ascertain how many of the 30-member council had paid their own household charge. It soon became obvious that a minority of members had not paid the charge and in the exchanges which followed it was pointed out that appeals for non-compliant householders to pay might fall on deaf ears if it became known that not even the council could claim full compliance. Cllr McClearn called on the public and his non-compliant council colleagues to obey the law of the land and pay the charge, reminding the meeting of the huge level of funding the county had received from central government for projects such as the Tuam sewerage and water development and other infrastructural improvements. The majority of members are concerned about what services will be cut back as a result of this €3.1 million cut in their central government allocation. It was pointed out that the allocation had already been reduced and the fear is that the 2013 budget will be based on this reduced rate, meaning further cuts can be expected. â€ËœGive non-payers criminal records' One member, Cllr Michael â€ËœStroke' Fahy, even went so far as to call on the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, to prosecute non-payers and ensure they have 'criminal records'. The County Manager said she recognised that 56 per cent of households obliged to pay the household charge in Co Galway had now paid it and this was very much appreciated. However, the council was now anxious to ensure that those who have not yet paid, fulfil their legal obligation to do so. She pointed out local government was the area of the public sector which has seen most staff cuts and reform. Already, Galway Co Council's overall budget has been reduced from €160 million per year to €143 million and huge savings and efficiencies have been made. The €3.1 million cut is significant as it will eat directly into the allocation for services such as roads repairs, hedge trimming etc, which impact directly on the general public. Cllr Jim Cuddy said it was grossly unfair to spring this cut on the council when they were already struggling to maintain services with the €28 million allocation they had received. He argued that when they were preparing their budget they had not been informed that their allocation was conditional on the collection of the household charge. Cllr has not paid Cllr Tim Broderick, who informed the meeting that he has not paid the charge, asked if the 56 per cent who have paid will be getting their €100 refunded as they will be impacted by cuts in services too. Headford-based Cllr Mary Hoade said the development was a dark day for local government. She asked that the public be informed of the development as people should be prepared for what may transpire if the council does not have funds to tackle emergency situations such as flooding or a major frost later in the year. It is estimated that between 60,000 and 65,000 households are eligible to pay the household charge of €100. This would bring in an estimated €6 to €6.5 million in revenue. At the higher figure of €6.5 million a shortfall of €2,860,000 still remains, a figure very close to the €3.1 million cut in the council's funding. Going by this estimate, €3,640,000 has already been collected by Galway Co Council.[/private]