‘County doesn’t revolve around Killarney’

Killarney might regard itself as the "tourist capital’’, but the rest of the county does not revolve around it, Kerry county manager Tom Curran stated yesterday.

He also said commercial rates for businesses in Killarney will increase when its town council is abolished this month and some key services, including planning and housing, will move to Kerry County Council’s headquarters in Tralee.

Mr Curran, speaking at the final meeting of Kerry County Council prior to the local elections, said commercial rates in Tralee, Killarney, and Listowel will have to be harmonised, following the abolition of town councils in the three areas.

Killarney’s commercial rate is currently set at €70, the lowest in the county.

“Rates in Killarney will go up. There’s no way we can bring rates in the rest of the county down to the Killarney rates levels,’’ Mr Curran said.

There was a clear indication from management of difficult decisions ahead for the new 33-member county council.

Cllr Sean Counihan (Lab) called for the retention of the local authority’s tourism section in Killarney, given the destination’s importance for the industry nationally.

However, Mr Curran said that while the Department of Tourism may have an office in Killarney, Kerry County Council never had a tourism section based in Killarney.

“We now have set up a designated tourism section based in the county buildings and it is for the whole county,’’ he said.

While acknowledging Killarney’s key role in tourism, Mr Curran said the rest of the county does not revolve around the east Kerry town.

Concerns were also voiced about plans to move the motor taxation office out of the county’s headquarters to a location close to Tralee town centre.

A request from Cllr Toireasa Ferris (SF) to give free parking to users of the new taxation office was rejected by Mr Curran, who said people could tax their vehicles online.

Also, people using An Post would have their motor taxation back to them within three days, at most, he pointed out. “There’s no need to come into the motor taxation office,’’ Mr Curran added.