Councillors request financial reports in Ballina

Councillors request quarterly financial reports in Ballina


Anna-Marie Flynn

BALLINA Town Council will present its members with quarterly financial reports – after questions were raised over overdraft accommodation of €450,000 approved for 2010.
Mayor, Cllr Mary Kelly, proposed the Manager and officials present ‘regular reports on the financial status’ of the Council, after Cllr Michelle Mulherin requested information on same.   Town Manager, Paddy Mahon, agreed with the suggestion and said the officials ‘would be happy to do so’.
“The financial report is a regular feature of County Council meetings and I don’t see why it is not in this Council chamber as well – the members have a right to inquire about the financial side of things – so I would be happy to have a quarterly report presented to keep everyone up to date,” he said.
The suggestion came during the final meeting of the Council for 2009, on foot of a debate over overdraft accommodation of €450,000.
Town Clerk, Carmel Murphy, outlined the process of adopting the overdraft which she explained was an annual matter of business which is included on the last agenda of the year.  However, Cllr Mark Winters initially requested further information on the move, stating that he was ‘uneasy’ with it.
The Town Manager responded by stating the overdraft facility had been in place last year and was not used, but said it was necessary should it need to be availed of.  “Last year, it initially appeared that we would have to avail of the overdraft, but even considering the year we had financially, it was not necessary to do so,” he said.
The Manager said that while it may not be needed, the overdraft was necessary considering the major projects planned for the town throughout 2010, which could alter regular cash flow systems within the authority.
“I think we can be optimistic that we won’t need to rely on the overdraft but it is necessary to have in place as we always do,” he said.
Following the debate, elected members agreed to adopt the accommodation.