‘Tell defaulters they’re risking services’
The call was made by the Fine Gael leader on the council, Michael Hegarty, who claimed he had been reliably informed that Environment Minister Phil Hogan will not follow through with a threat to cut €3.9m in grant aid to the council if more people pay.
Some 47% of householders in the county are still holding out on paying.
Mr Hegarty and a number of party colleagues said the alternative was sweeping cuts in services.
Mr Riordan said a lot of his annual budget was already committed to pay wages and loans, and therefore he would have to cut discretionary funding to balance the books.
But Mr Hegarty insisted: “We’re currently at 53% and if we get to a 75% collection there will be no cutbacks to Cork County Council’s grant. It is no joke, that is true and factual.”
Cllr Kevin O’Keeffe led the Fianna Fáil counter-attack, criticising Mr Hogan. “We do our estimates on a 12-monthly basis and, in midstream before Phil Hogan goes on his holidays, he delivers this,” Mr O’Keeffe said.
Cllr Paula Desmond (Lab) said it was “completely unfair” that cuts in services would hit the compliant as well as the non-compliant.
Mr Riordan said he would meet with senior council management in the coming days to identify possible savings and agreed to hold a special meeting with councillors during their summer holidays to outline proposals.
Meanwhile, in Kerry, deputy county manager Michael McMahon said the county council faces a “tough challenge” after being advised of a €1.67m reduction in government funding.
All areas of operation would have to be further examined, he said, including services provided by the council and works scheduled to be carried out in 2012.
To date, 65% of eligible households — just over 38,000 — in Kerry have paid the charge.
Mr McMahon said the 9% cut in funding created a tough challenge in identifying where savings could be made to balance the budget.
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