Clare's county manager has been urged by councillors not to sell the council's "family silver" in an effort to secure new headquarters.
Mr Alec Fleming has informed councillors that the local authority is to seek "expressions of interest" from the private sector in relation to the council's property portfolio in the general Ennis area.
These properties include the council's existing HQ and the site of Our Lady's Psychiatric Hospital, which the Council purchased in September 2000 for €15 million with a view to establishing its new HQ at the hospital site.
Planning permission was secured for the project last year, However, Mr Fleming has told councillors that the council has abandoned plans to relocate its HQ to Our Lady's due to the €33 million price tag associated with the move.
With a large percentage of council staff working out of temporary buildings at the council's existing administrative headquarters, Mr Fleming acknowledged to councillors that the current accommodation was inadequate and fragmented.
He said the council had a requirement for 100,000 sq ft of high-quality office accommodation, which will incorporate offices, meeting rooms and council chamber.
Mr Fleming said that both the council's existing HQ site and the Our Lady's Hospital site benefited from strategic designations in the recently adopted Ennis and Environs Development Plan.
However, the proposal has come in for criticism from a number of councillors. Cllr P.J. Kelly said: "I am extremely disappointed by what the manager has told us.
"I understand we have paid more to find out that we can't afford the new €33 million HQ than on what we paid for the building itself."
Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) said that it was a critical situation for the council to be in.
She said: "I am not prepared to allow speculators involve themselves because of the critical situation the council faces."
She was supported by Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), who said: "I find it absolutely deplorable that we would be contemplating selling the family silver.
"I am astounded as to how the council got into this position."
However, Mr Fleming said that seeking expressions of interest did not commit the council to anything.
He said: "We need to know what is out there. We cannot afford to go ahead with the Our Lady's site."
In response, council members gave the go-ahead to Mr Fleming to seek the expressions of interest, and the county manager said he would report back in four to six months to outline what interest has been expressed in the council's property portfolio.
