Galway Bay fm newsroom – Ballinasloe area councillors have voted to adopt the district’s draft budget for 2017
Councillors have been presented this afternoon with suggested allocations for the area’s discretionary funding.
The Ballinasloe district will receive 4.8 million euro of the overall council budget of over 27 million euro for 2017.
Councillor Tim Broderick raised concern over the figure allocated to the district, and said it would be impossible to maintain services at the current funding level – particularly in the roads department.
Director of Finance Ger Mullarkey told the meeting that each of the district budgets for 2017 are broadly the same as last year, as the council continues to work to reduce its overall budget deficit of over 700 thousand euro.
The draft budget was proposed for adoption by Councillor Michael Connolly and seconded by Councillor Aidan Donohoe.
A counter proposal by Councillor Tim Broderick called for the rejection of the budget until the executive provides more information on the roads fund, specifically the income from paid parking in the Ballinasloe area.
However, due to the fact that the budget meeting could not be adjourned under the council’s standing orders, the proposal could not be accepted.
Councillor Broderick then argued that due to what he described as inconsistencies in roads funding, he would have to reject the document – resulting in a vote.
Councillors Broderick and Dermot Connolly voted to reject the budget, while Councillor Michael Finnerty chose to abstain.
As a result, the 4.8 million euro budget was adopted after a debate which lasted almost 2 hours.
The Ballinasloe meeting was the last of the five municipal district budget discussions.
All five draft budgets will now be sent to the County CEO, who will work with the council’s finance department to finalise the full county budget
for 2017.
Galway County Council’s annual budget meeting will take place on the 23rd of November.
