Argument ensues at Kildare County Council meeting following Local Property Tax query

An argument ensued at a recent Kildare County Council (KCC) meeting following a question relating to Local Property Tax (LPT).

The dispute occurred at the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) meeting, which took place on Wednesday, April 16 last, in response to a motion from Independent councillor Tom McDonnell.

At the meeting, Cllr McDonnell motioned for KCC to "address the uneven distribution of LPT monies allocated to towns within the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District".

His motion was seconded by Fianna Fáil Cllr Noel Heavey.

In response to his motion, KCC told Cllr McDonnell via its report at the meeting The that the allocation "is a matter for the Members of the District [to decide and agree upon]".

Speaking directly to both his fellow councillors and KCC, Cllr McDonnell brought up the suggestion of a fair distribution” of LPT funds for each councillor in the MD.

He then questioned the allocation of €300,000 to the Newbridge Library development.

Independent Cllr Tom McDonnell. Photo credit: kildarecoco.ie

Cllr McDonnell added: "How can I get any jobs done as a councillor if I don’t have a fair cut of the monies? The funding for the library should come from above [referring to the government]."

However, he also stressed that he understood the need for a library in Newbridge.

Responding to his comments, Eileen Hanlon, KCC’s head of Finance, Digital Services, Innovation and Governance, said: "It is for the MD, not individual members, to decide upon the allocations."

She also told Cllr McDonnell that this was approved back in a meeting held in February, and the schedule was agreed upon by the members.

Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender then weighed in with his thoughts — he said that while he understood Cllr McDonnell’s frustrations, he added that there are "multiple projects” taking place across the MD, and that councillors don’t often get their proposed motions "across the line".

‘SLUSH FUND’ CLAIM

He also said: "Having each councillor have a slush fund would be undemocratic."

In addition, Cllr Pender also pointed out the meeting which took place back in February, and which ended with the member’s agreeing on the allocation.

Furthermore, he said that "libraries are one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in a town" and accused Cllr McDonnell of using the funding allocated to the library as a metaphorical "stick to beat with".

Regarding for the library, Cllr Pender added: "It is a central government issue."

The Mayor of the MD, Fine Gael Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer, seemed to echo Cllr Pender’s comments — she said to Cllr McDonnell: "You were there at the meeting, Tom. It was a democratic vote."

Cllr Heavey also said that he supported the funding for the library, and similarly agreed with Cllr Pender that it is "a vital piece of infrastructure".

Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer also had this to say to Cllr McDonnell: "The motion would imply that he wasn’t in the room when the decision was made, but he was.

"We as councillors have to make difficult decisions, that’s the life of a councillor."

She added: "I don’t think it is fair to single out any one project. If anyone had an issue with it, they should have raised it [back at the February meeting]."

Cllr McDonnell then responded: "We are getting into little 'he said, she said' stuff."

He reiterated his overall support for the library, but again called into question the allocation of "so much money" for the project.

"To take 25 per cent of the budget for the next four years is unfair," he claimed.

Cllr McDonnell also took issue with Cllr Pender’s "slush fund" comments, adding: "Childish remarks are not for this room."

FURTHER CONTEXT

Speaking to the Leader following the meeting, Mayor O'Dwyer clarified that the €300,000 for the library was taken from €1,207,865 million, and that the decision was based on a €3m allocation made last year from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Mayor O'Dwyer added: “The grant would have required repayment of all or part of the allocation if it had not progressed to construction by June of 2026.”

She further noted that the library was first identified as a capital project over 20 years ago, and will include the County Archives and Cultural Centre.

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