The new year brings a new set of figures for the elected members of Mayo County Council to agree on for the coming year. The annual budget meeting of the council takes place today (Friday, January 6 ) at 11am in Áras an Chontae, Castlebar. This year’s budget as presented by the council officials shows an expected reduction in expenditure of €1,699,697 on the same time last year. The overall budgeted expenditure for the year is €130,252,752 down from €131,952,449 at the same stage in 2011.
The county rate, which is normally a hot topic of debate at this meeting, sees no proposed change from the amount levied last year and the year before. The rate will be €68.76 in the euro for the year. This year’s budgeted expenditure is 1.3 per cent down on last year’s levels, which itself was three per cent down on the previous year’s expenditure by the council.
County manager Peter Hynes also outlines in his report to the members that in the past five years the budgeted expenditure for the council has fallen by €22,365,114 or 14.7. per cent on the figure in 2008.
The headline figures for funding the coming year’s expenditure by the council shows that it expected to take in €83,971,388 from receipts paid to the council, which is down from €84,445,180 in 201. The block funding from the Local Government Fund and pension levy is also expected to drop by more than €2 million this year. This year’s budgeted income from that source is €30,100,750, down from €32,135,562 in 2011. The council does see some growth for business and industries in the town with the expected income from rates on commercial and industrial premises in the county being upped from €12,906,503 in 2011 to €13,715,410 this year, an increase in €808,907 from the figures expected 12 months ago. The charges levied on the three town councils for services provided by the county council will stay the same at €2,465,204 for this year.
Of all the income to the council it is expected that 60.19 per cent of it will come in the form of State grants, which works out at €78,401,651 of projected income, with the two largest sources expected to come from the Local Government Fund payment of €27,800,750 and the roads grants of €24,439,681. From direct payments to the council, the payment of commercial rates is expected to bring in 10.53 per cent of the total income, and 16.86 per cent to come from other sources such as water charges, housing rents, and landfill charges. The council plans to spend €50 million this year on the capital programme, which will see €11 million spent on housing, €12 million on roads, €18 million on water services, €4 million on refuse disposal, and €5 million on other capital works this year.
