Council Passes Budget On A 6-3 Vote

Mallow Town Council voted 6-3 last night to pass its budget for 2012. Those voting for the budget were Mayor Dan Joe Fitzgerald and Cllrs. Noel O’Connor, Richard Dempsey, James Kennedy, Róisín Lucey and Ronan Sheehan, while Cllrs. Willie O’Regan, Johnny Bottles Griffin and Jerry Mullally voted against.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr. Mullally said he could not support the budget due to the government’s plan to use the €100 household charge to fund local services. “If money doesn’t come in, what do we do? I’m fearful of what’s coming down the road,” he said. The councillor also hit out at the Fine Gael/Fianna Fail/Sinn Féin grouping in the council, saying the onus was on them to pass the budget.

The decision to pass the budget was greeted with relief by most councillors, as the council faced disbandment if the deadline of this Friday passed without agreement. At the first estimates meeting last week, six councillors stated their intention to vote against the budget over the household charge issue, forcing the deferral of a decision until last night.

The budget for 2012 offers relief to hard-pressed businesses, as the council has decided to hold the business rate at the same level as last year. Several initiatives are also in the pipeline, including a grant for shop owners towards painting their premises.