The Tuam and Athenry–Oranmore Municipal Districts met this week to consider their draft General Municipal Allocations (GMAs ) for 2026, with councillors in both areas voicing queries about rising costs, limited local discretion and the impact of national funding decisions.
In Tuam, the meeting opened with tributes to outgoing engineer Tom Coyle, who was praised by several councillors for his responsiveness and dedication in his role. The focus then shifted to the figures, with Galway County Council’s Director of Finance Katie O’Connor outlining indicative expenditure of just over €9 million for the district, an increase on 2025 driven mainly by roads and housing. She said that ahead of the Local Property Tax (LPT ) allocation by the Government, the county faces an indicated “deficit gap between income and expenditure of about €11 million,” with several key budget items still to be determined, including bad debt provisions, the costs of retained firefighters in Galway, and government support levels.
O’Connor stressed that most of the budget is non-discretionary and shaped by circulars, with the GMA reflecting only the spending side rather than local income. Cllr Shaun Cunniffe (II ) questioned the absence of figures on income and parking revenue, as well as the impact of equalisation changes to the LPT. He was told that parking across the county generates a surplus of €120,000, but Tuam’s portion is not broken out at the MD level.
Several members raised concerns about the LPT equalisation fund and the perception that Galway is still underfunded compared with other counties, despite councillors approving a 15 per cent LPT increase. O’Connor said Galway had “pulled all the levers” available and had seen one of the highest uplifts in its baseline figure.
Roads expenditure generated debate, with Cllr Ollie Turner (FG ) asking if shifts in allocations amounted to “robbing Peter to pay Paul” and seeking clarity on surface dressing and parking operations. The topic of winning funds also resurfaced, with Cllrs Donagh Killalea (FF ) and Andrew Reddington (FG ) insisting that previous allocations be protected to ensure the town’s connected relationship with its twin, Straubing, Germany. Other topics included burial ground provision, civic amenity sites, active travel staffing and the cost of the motor tax office, which councillors complained drains resources without returning revenue locally.
Athenry-Oranmore
In the Athenry–Oranmore MD, the tone was similarly dominated by financial constraints. Katie O’Connor briefed the members with the same overall county figures, explaining the LPT increase, highlighting that the draft budget plan will remain so until it is determined when the full council meets on November 14.
The GMA, she said, is “discretionary funding” but limited in scope due to the non-discretionary nature of most council spending. Councillors pressed for clarity on roads allocations, with Cllr David Collins (FG ) welcoming an uplift but questioning why regional roads were receiving €400,000 extra while only €40,000 more was earmarked for local roads. O’Connor explained that the increase includes a €250,000 Specific Improvement Grant.
Cllr Sean Broderick (FF ) queried a reduction in funding for litter control initiatives. O’Connor said the change reflected a revised code split rather than a cut in support for local programmes, with the Oranmore Litter Picking Committee still in line to receive the same €6,818 in funding for 2026.
Councillors also revisited past discussions about ensuring that a share of any new national roads funding is allocated to the district before being divided countywide. O’Connor said such decisions would need to be addressed when the 2026 roads programme is finalised.
The meeting concluded with the draft GMA being proposed by Cllr Collins and seconded by Cllr Sean Broderick.
Municipal district budgetary plans are expected to come into effect following the meeting of Galway County Council in November.
