Clash over where Kildare property taxes should go
Aras Cill Dara
CONCERN was raised over the alllocation of local property tax (LPT) funds within the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District and its uneven distribution at the most recent MD meeting.
Cllr Tom McDonnell submitted a motion calling on the council to address the ‘uneven distribution of LPT monies’ allocated to towns within the district. In response to the motion, a report issued by Eileen Hanlon, director of services at the finance department, clarified that the allocation of retained LPT funding within the district was ultimately a matter for the elected members of the district to decide.
At the meeting, cllr McDonnell suggested that LPT should be split up equally between each of the 11 councillors for their respective communities. He also argued that this year’s LPT allocation “wasn’t done in a proper manner”.
The council decided the allocation of LPT funds for the district at the start of the year, putting the construction of the highly-anticipated county library as one of its priorities.
In connection with this, cllr McDonnell said: “I see the need for the library, but it takes away from jobs I need to do for my community.”
Eileen Hanlon responded: “There is no individual allocations for members. It is up to the collective of the municipal district to approve.”
Cllr Chris Pender, in disagreement with cllr McDonnell, mentioned that he used the library as a “stick to beat them with” and said: “To look for a councillor to have an individual slush fund is not democratic. It’s just ridiculous.”
Cllr McDonnell replied: “Twenty-five percent of the budget is going to the library. I’m totally for the library, but to take 25% of the budget is totally unfair”, and he called cllr Pender’s mention of slush funds a “childish remark”.
Cllrs Peggy O’Dwyer, Noel Heavey and Tracey O’Dwyer also weighed in on the discussion, with cllr Heavey clarifying the way he had voted on the allocation of LPT funds, and Peggy and Tracey explaining that difficult decisions had to be made in the LPT allocations for 2025.
