Kerry county councillors have voted to adopt the local authority budget for 2024.
All councillors present at the meeting voted in favour of adopting the budget, but some still voiced criticism at elements of the budget.
At the same meeting, councillors voted almost unanimously to set the Annual Rate of Valuation at 0.245, which will be used to calculate payment due on commercial rates for next year.
Council CEO Moira Murrell told the meeting that a key part of the budget will be the Housing Strategic Land Acquisition Programme, in order to keep up with ambitious targets for the delivery of housing.
This will be supported by the allocation of €500,000 for loan charges for the purchase of lands, half of which will be for strategic housing lands, and the other half for lands to provide options for development in the county.
Director of Housing Martin O’Donoghue told the meeting that the council will also be moving towards a targeted programme of Compulsory Purchase Orders next year to assist with meeting housing demand.
The allocation to social housing maintenance also increased to €475,000, with Moira Murrell adding the spend on housing needs to increase to meet demands.
Overall expenditure will rise by 6.2% in 2024 to €210 million, including an estimated provision for works related to road grants, as the council has not yet received confirmation on these grants yet.
Payroll will comprise 43% of the council’s expenditure for the year, with operational costs accounting for a further 41% of spending.
The meeting was told that a growing amount of expenditure on payroll is recoupable from central government.
The overall estimated insurance cost provided by the council for 2024 is over €4.1 million, which will covers all insurance policies for the council; the meeting heard the council’s insurance premium is a decrease of €220,000 on this year.
Funding is also set aside for a new road safety officer for next year.
29 councillors voted in favour of adopting the budget, with four absent.
Councillors also voted to set the Annual Rate of Valuation at 0.245 for 2024, with 26 for and just Independent councillor Jackie Healy-Rae against.
The amount in commercial rates paid by a business is calculated by multiplying the valuation of a premises by the Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV) of 0.245.
This premises valuation was calculated by the Valuation Division of Tailte Éireann, and issued to businesses on Final Valuation Certificates in September.
