Chief Executive’s Proposal to Increase Local Property Tax Approved by Council

The Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council, Colette Byrne, recommended an increase of 15% in the Local Property Tax. In doing so the Chief Executive outlined that "the increase is necessary to maintain the Council's services but is also necessary if the Council is to continue to support many projects and groups across the City and County. The public", says Ms. Byrne, "may not fully appreciate the number of organisations that the Council make a contribution to on an annual basis, organisations such as the Watergate Theatre, Rothe House, Castlecomer Discovery Park, Drum Youth Centre, Kilkenny Tourism, Kilkenny Archives, Butler Gallery, Keep Kilkenny Beautiful, Kilkenny Energy Agency, Kilkenny Recreation and Sports Partnership, Garda Youth Programme, Ossory Youth, many of whom depend on the Council's contribution to keep their doors open. These organisations may not be able to provide our communities with such a diverse range of community/recreational/social programmes without a contribution from the Council. This is discretionary spend from the Council's perspective but in many cases, it is essential to the organisations who receive it".

"Also, in recent years the Council has become the conduit for National funding to local projects, through the CLÁR Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme and many others. Without the capacity to support the communities in putting applications together and in some cases provide matching funding, these projects would not happen" says the Chief Executive and further added that "The projects range from work on local community facilities, halls, playgrounds, to road safety measures. These are all projects identified by local communities and the local Elected Members and advanced in partnership with the Council. The increase in the Local Property Tax will allow the Council to continue this valuable work".

Ms. Byrne accepts that "no one likes paying more, but when you consider the alternative, it may not be so palatable". In making my recommendation to Council I had to consider the reality of the alternative, cutting funding to many worthy community projects and events across the City and County or asking that households pay a little extra in the Local Property Tax." According to the Chief Executive, "The increase for some households is 0.26 cents per week, for others it is 0.65 cents per week. For over 90% of households it will be less than €1 per week. The question we have to answer is do we value the organisations that are supported by the Council and the work they do, much of it by Volunteers, to have the Council continue its contribution to them on behalf of the wider community. The very essence of the Local Property Tax is that it is Local, the extra money is retained locally and invested locally by the Council on behalf of the people of Kilkenny."

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