DUBLIN CITY Council has no budget to deal with “exceptional weather” events next year, city manager John Tierney has said.
The council expects to have spent more than three times its budget for the winter maintenance of national primary and secondary roads this year, not including the money it is spending during the current cold spell.
In his introduction to the city council’s 2011 budget, presented to councillors last night, Mr Tierney said the council had received no additional funding from central government to meet the costs of dealing with the heavy snows last January.
The council faces a 10 per cent reduction in the Local Government Fund, the main source of funding for the council from central government, which is likely to bring its net allocation to €57.4 million for 2011.
However, by and large the council is not proposing to lay the burden of this cut on either businesses or residents.
The costs of waste collection for households is to increase only marginally next year. The standing charge for the large grey general waste bin is increasing from the current €96 per year to €100 per year, while those using the smaller bin will see their standing charge rise from €78 to €80 per year.
The per lift charges are not being increased and will remain at €6 for the large grey bin; €3.60 for the small bin; €3 for those using bags; €2 for the brown organic waste bin; and no charge for the green recycling bin.
This means households on a waiver who were charged per lift for the first time in 2010 will face no increase in charges. However local authority flat tenants who have until now been exempt will be charged €1 a week.
The commercial rate multiplier, used to determine the rates businesses pay the council, is being set at 0.6 per cent below the 2010 level. Although water charges for businesses are increasing from €1.72 to €1.81 per 1,000 litres, this will still represent a subsidy of €2.5 million to business in 2010.
The council expects to collect €12 million from the second homes tax.
Overall the council expects to spend €840 million in 2011, broadly in line with the €837 million spent this year.
However, there is no budget for “exceptional events”. Last year the council had budgeted €73,000 for winter maintenance of national primary roads and nothing for secondary roads.
Due to the bad weather last January, it expected to have spent €205,000 on clearing primary roads and €33,000 on secondary roads for 2010. In relation to local roads, the council budgeted €84,550 and expects to have spent just slightly more at €85,199.
These budget figures were prepared in recent weeks and do not include the costs of clearing and maintaining roads during the current cold snap.
The budget for 2011 includes a primary roads winter budget of €107,350 and a secondary road budget of €7,000. The budget for clearing and maintaining local roads has been halved at €38,116.
Councillors last night voted 37 to 10 in favour of the budget.
