Mayo county councillors approve €201m budget

COUNCILLORS have passed a budget for 2024 with €201 million worth of expenditure – a rise of €24.6 million on 2023.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Mayo County Council, councillors approved the annual budget with an extra €295,000 of expenditure for 14 projects around the county.

The Fianna-Fáil controlled chamber approved the budget following the addition of amendments to include extra spending on Belmullet swimming pool (€25,000), unfinished estates (€25,000), an animal welfare officer (€15,000) and the Michael Davitt Museum (€25,000).

A total of €10,000 was allocated respectively to Mayo Dark Skies, Unesco Joyce County Geopark, Swinford Siamsa Sráide, Louisburgh Cottages and a memorial to Private Billy Kedian in Ballyhaunis, as well as €5,000 for the Admiral Brown Centre in Foxford.

The extra spending will be partly paid for by €170,000 in additional savings from reduced energy costs from new public lighting and generate €100,000 extra annually from rents from new social houses.

Pressure

Fianna Fáil councillor Blackie Gavin threatened to vote against the budget if funding was not guaranteed for the Michael Davitt Museum.

The Castlebar-based representative called on his fellow councillors to honour prior pledges to support the museum.

“Ye all supported us here, and ye come in and try and hoodwink us here… I’m not having it,” Cllr Gavin exclaimed.

The Straide-based museum covers its running costs through donations from the public and from state support.

Cllr Ger Deere warned that funding from councillors’ General Municipal Allocations (GMA) would not be enough to keep the museum going.

“If it is closed down, it will be a shame on this council. To think, after all Michael Davitt achieved,” said Cllr Deere, who said the museum was ‘struggling’ to remain open.

His Fine Gael colleague Gerry Coyle also supported additional funding for the museum, as did Fianna Fáil’s Martin McLaughlin.

Councillors from the Westport area threatened that they would only support a budget if a guarantee was given to support a new playground in Fahy.

Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, pledged that Fahy would be included as part of €90,000 in expenditure ring-fenced for new playgrounds in 2024.

Fine Gael whip Cllr Peter Flynn said securing a playground for the village was ‘a big issue’ for his fellow local representatives.

A funding pledge for a playground in Shrule was also included among the amendments for the 2024 budget.

An additional €50,000 had been proposed for Mayo Day in Belmullet. to coincide with the bicentenary of the town’s founding. However, following a second round of deliberations, this was reduced to €20,000 on the provision that funding be sought from Fáilte Ireland to bring the total expenditure on Mayo Day 2024 to €100,000.

Councillors also ring-fenced a total of €40,000 for the development of new routes to mainland Europe from Ireland West Airport Knock.

Rates concerns

Every major area of expenditure saw an increase in funding. The largest budget was allocated to road safety and transport, rising from €55 million to €60 million.

Housing and building saw the next highest increase, rising from €27.3 million to €31.8 million.

This included €4.5 million for housing grants, a rise of €1.5 million from the previous year.

“While direction is tight in relation to parts of it, it certainly does show a trajectory that’s going in the right direction,” said Fianna Fáil whip, Cllr Damien Ryan.

Councillors also approved a scheme that would see no business with an Annual Rateable Valuation of more than €41,000 would see an increase on their rates bill.

Local representatives have voiced concern over small businesses that have seen their rates bills increase or multiply, in some cases.

Mayo County Council expects to generate €44 million for local rates in 2024, making up 22.2 percent of its income.

Almost of half the local authority’s income – 47.8 percent – will come from state grants totalling €96.2 million.

Over €21 million will be derived from goods and services (10.5 percent), plus €22 million (11.1 percent) from Local Property Tax – a levy that will be ring-fenced for the municipal area from which it is collected.

The remainder of the county council’s income, over €16.9 million, will come from ‘agency/other sources’, such as the Regional Design Office.