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They mightn’t have agreed on much but members of Fermoy Town Council all agreed there was still a distinct lack of clarity about the payment of water charges to the county council. Photo: 123RF

They mightn't have agreed on much but members of Fermoy Town Council all agreed when the issue of a water charge paid over to Cork County Council for a number of years came up for discussion again at their monthly meeting on Tuesday night that there was still a distinct lack of clarity about the whole payment.

Standing orders were suspended to allow members discuss the matter.

They had asked that the former head of finance at Cork County Council attend the meeting to explain the charge, how it came about and their liability to pay. Instead they got a letter from the county council's head of finance, Liz Barry with an explanation that didn't satisfy them.

The letter said that, in 2004 the water and wastewater function was transferred from town councils to Cork County Council. A decision was taken nationally at the time that town councils should pay the county council a contribution towards domestic water usage. Because the Department of the Environment didn't reduce the local government fund of town councils or increase the local government fund payable to county councils, the transfer of function resulted in a considerable increase in cost to the county council and would have meant a significant financial benefit to town councils.

Again, the head of finance stated, it was decided nationally that town councils shouldn't be better off as a result of the move so it was agreed to have them make up the difference and this was the charge of €187,000 per annum they'd been paying since 2004. The charge was subject to audit in all the years since then, she pointed out, but no comment was made until in the 2011 audit.

Mayor Olive Corcoran, who raised the matter originally, said they hadn't got a satisfactory answer. She wondered if they could hold off making the payment for 2014, ringfence the money and use it for something else. She asked town manager Niall Healy to clarify that for her. He suggested they go back to finance and seek clarification to the councillors' outstanding queries.

"I think the nonsense should stop now," Cllr Michael Hanley, who was critical of the Mayor seeking to withhold payment, said.  "You're like a dog with a bone, you are making it political and I resent that. The wrong message is being sent around," he told her.

Cllr Pa O'Driscoll said they needed to be satisfied. It was his opinion that they should be paying the charge but it was only his opinion and he felt it needed further clarification.There was a lack of clarity in the letter.

"It's not good enough from the county council," he said. "There's a genuine concern here." He felt the letter from the council wasn't an adequate response as it failed to anwser many of their questions. "It's dismissive of us as an elected body," he said.

Members read through further paperwork they'd received from town clerk Pauline Moriarty but considered it to relate to one year only - 2005 - when a motion was passed by the town council that the county council take over the function and any monies collected go to them.

Cllr Noel McCarthy said he was disappointed that no-one from finance took the time and showed them respect by attending. "It's a very serious matter," he said. He suggested the Mayor take a deputation to county hall if finance wouldn't come to them to discuss it in full. Cllr John Murphy too felt finance should have attended. "People think we are squandering money here," he said. Cllr Colette Dolan Moore said the agreement in 2005 was for one year. She was surprised the auditors didn't point it out to them in other years. She also agreed that if there was money to be got back they should try to get it. Cllr Noel Barnes was in favour of holding off until they saw what the council says before paying the charge this year.

Cllr Noel McCarthy proposed that a deputation led by the Mayor go to county hall about it. However, an amendment to that proposal, put forward by Cllr Seamus Coleman and seconded by Colette Dolan Moore, that finance come to their meeting instead, was carried and the manager agreed to ask the relevant personnel to attend their next meeting.

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