Annual Budget 2009 - Roscommon County Council

Manager’s Foreword
Conclusion
I wish to thank and pay tribute to Mr Martin Lydon, Head of Finance and his team in the Finance
Department. I wish also to place on record my sincere appreciation of the professional and thorough
manner in which they have prepared this Draft Budget and for their prudence in management of the
Authority’s finances. I wish to thank the Directors of Service and their staff for their assistance also in
preparing and presenting the Draft Budget.
I wish to take this opportunity of thanking you Mayor, the Corporate Policy Group for their assistance
and all of the Elected Members for their support and co-operation in running the affairs of this Council
over the past year and previous years. I am confident that going forward this Council will continue to
work to build a Local Authority of which the citizens of the County can be proud. The year ahead will
be the very difficult. Most of the cutbacks will be felt in the first instance by the staff/administration
but this will inevitably reflect itself also in a diminution of service provision and will be felt by yourselves
and the public whom we serve.
At the end of the day we as a Local Authority with various assigned functions and responsibilities are
charged with the duty to run the affairs of this County on behalf of its citizens. The essential services
we provide must be available at all times though often they go unnoticed. This year, because of the
unusual unprecedented fiscal environment particularly in the Irish and more local economy, I have cut
budgets radically in all sectors, including staff being let go in order to minimise the effect on the
commercial rates. I consider that the proposed estimates for each service are the absolute minimum
necessary to meet our statutory duties and they represent the fairest balance of distribution of
charges having regard to the legal obligations on the Authority to maintain services. In the light of all
of the foregoing and having regard to the financial cuts that have been imposed by Government upon
this Authority, while still continuing to burden this Authority with even greater and costlier new
responsibilities I recommend the Draft Budget as set out to you for adoption.
Yours Sincerely,
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JOHN TIERNAN
COUNTY MANAGER
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Roscommon County Council | Comhairle Chontae Ros Comain | Adopted Budget 2009 | For year ended 31st December 2009