Ennis Town Council is facing a €65,000 legal bill arising from a former traffic warden stealing €300,000 in coins from the council's parking meters, it emerged yesterday. Gordon Deeganreports.
In February 2004, former employee Chris Harford (36), of Cluain Ard, Kilmaley, was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to stealing the sums from the council over a three-year period. The nine-member town council was previously told no loss was incurred by the council.
However, as part of the external audit of the council's accounts for 2005, local government auditor Thomas O'Callaghan found it has a legal bill relating to the case of €65,846. In his formal response, Ennis town manager Tom Coughlan said that "a claim will be lodged with the council's insurers in respect of the legal costs incurred".
Counsel for Harford, Michael Fitzgibbon, said: "His crime was not a sophisticated one, anything but. That he could steal a staggering amount of money in coins over a three-year period and not be detected is astounding." The parking meters were located on a Dunnes Stores-owned car park, and the audit states the council finalised a settlement with the company in relation to the fraud.
The audit, published at the council's May meeting yesterday, stated the council recovered the sum expended from an insurance policy and part proceeds of a house sale by Harford understood to have realised €180,000.
Also yesterday, members of Ennis Town Council learned three out of 10 Ennis businesses refused to pay commercial water rates arising from the town's public water supply crisis. A partial boil notice has been in place since June 2005 and an external audit of the council's finances for 2005 showed that just under 30 per cent of water rate payments were not paid during that year.
Earlier this month, chief executive of Ennis Chamber of Commerce Rita McInerney called on Ennis Town Council to provide a water rates rebate to businesses. Yesterday, she said it was "understandable" some would decide to withhold water ratespayment.