In tandem with the county budget announced last week, Athlone Town Council decided this week not to raise the rates for the town for the third year in a row.
The valuation multiplier will be retained at the 2009 level of €60.72 in an effort to raise the €11.683m required to run the town, a figure just €41,000 less than the 2010 cost.
Commercial rates account for €5.25m or 45 per cent of Athlone’s income, with Government grants and the local government fund the second biggest contributor at 18 per cent (€2.12m ). The local authority fund from Westmeath County Council accounts for 14 per cent of income (€1.61m ), rent 9 per cent (€1.1m ), while parking charges and fines bring in just 4 per cent (€0.5m ).
On the expenditure side, the greatest cost to the local authority is salaries and pensions which, at €3.75m, account for just under one third of all the town’s spending. The cost of materials and machinery account for one quarter of the expenditure at €2.83m, whilst rate write offs are now approaching €1m for the first time (€942,774 ), and are up just over €100,000 on last year’s figures.
“As in other years, the finances of the council are influenced by national developments and the state of our economy, which have caused a contraction in central government funding,” said Aidan Bass from the town council’s finance section.
“Nevertheless, through the prudent management of our finances, the current year will end within budget.”
He went on to explain that, though the Croke Park agreement has continued with the freeze on public sector recruitment: “Basic pay has been protected in return for the delivery of further efficiencies and productivity”.
