Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 47:

In page 82, to delete lines 31 to 37, and in page 83, to delete lines 1 to 17 and substitute the following:“ “(4A) (a) In the case of a county council or city and county council, the chief executive shall, prior to the preparation of the draft local authority budget, invite municipal district members for each municipal district in the council’s functional area to make and submit a budgetary submission in respect of their municipal district.

(b) The chief executive shall make all necessary resources available to municipal district members to enable them to prepare a budgetary submission under paragraph (a).

(c) The chief executive shall direct the preparation of a draft budgetary plan for each municipal district following receipt of each budgetary submission under paragraph (a), the provisions of each shall be adhered to unless otherwise directed by the chief executive.

(d) In each case where the chief executive, in preparation of a draft budgetary plan, deviates from consistency with the budgetary submissions received under paragraph (a) he or she shall state the reasons for such deviation.

(e) Following consideration of a draft budgetary plan under this section, the municipal district members may make amendments to the draft budgetary plan.

(f) The making of amendments under paragraph (e) by the municipal district members is a reserved function.

(g) The chief executive shall incorporate the budgetary plan adopted by the municipal district members in preparing the draft local authority budget (in accordance with subsection (2)).”,”.

Essentially, the objective of this amendment is to strengthen the hand of the municipal district. At present, the legislation provides that the chief executive will consult the municipal district, whereas this amendment proposes that resources would be provided to the municipal district to do some of this work itself. Clearly, there is an overall council where it will be necessary to have a fair distribution of resources but if power is to reside at municipal level, it must be seen to be much more proactive about the budgetary process as it affects the area the councillors are elected to represent.

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