Funding cuts for Roscommon projects and community groups

Funding for facilities and community projects in South Roscommon has been slashed by Roscommon County Council as part of its budgetary process for 2009. Roscommon County Council members made the decision last week to increase the business rates by 0.5% at their budget meeting last week. Cllr Anthony Geraghty said cemeteries in the county were allocated €150,000 last year, but for 2009, the figure is decreased to €100,000. The amenity grant last year was €150,000, and this year it is €100,000. Bands in the South Roscommon area could have received €3,100 last year and this year it"s €1,500. Tidy Towns Committees in South Roscommon received €2,000 last year, and this year will get €1,000. The Pride and Place Community Project, which is got €15,000 last year, and this year will get €7,500. The Community Games last year got €6,000 and this year will receive €5,000. Fianna Fail"s Cllr Geraghty also expressed disappointment with the Fine Gael/Independent alliance that runs the council for opting to raise the rates on business by 0.5%. Fianna Fáil had proposed a 0% increase which came close to succeeding but it was defeated by Fine Gael and Independents. Fianna Fáil had the support of the two hospital action group councillors, the Sinn Féin member, and Independent, Cllr. Luke "Ming" Flanagan. The vote was split 13-13, and the budget could have been rejected were it not for Fine Gael"s Mayor Michael McGreal using his casting vote to carry it. 'From where Fianna Fáil was coming from in relation to getting a freeze on rates, we saw that the travel abroad allowance was €16,000, so we were proposing to cut it down by €12,000, and leave just €4,000 for European tours only, but that didn"t happen,' said Cllr Geraghty. He said the Fianna Fáil group had also recommended shaving €1,000 off the salary of chairs of the strategic policy committees, but was told that these were statutory bodies. The Kiltoom-based councillor said that Fianna Fáil had also hoped to take €1,650 off each councillor"s expenses, from the 2008 figure of €8,400. He said the cuts in expenses could have facilitated a rates freeze. 'I"m disappointed that Fine Gael didn"t co-operate with us because community groups in the county have taken a massive cut, and yet the Fine Gael and Independent alliance didn"t see fit for the councillors to take a similar cut.'