Council discussing budget controversey

Donegal County Council is meeting this morning to discuss the manner in which ther 2010 budget was decided, and the process leading up to December’s budget meeting.
What happened at meeting is well documented. While Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Fein and the independents were meeting to thrash out proposals to reduce the comercical rate by 8.5%, Fianna Fail councillors adopted the budget in the chamber with a proposed 3% cut.
Today Fianna Fail is expected to justify that – a cross party corparate policy group was formed early last year, Fianna Fail will claim that this group agreed unamisouly to proposals that led to the draft budget.
The party claims that it is giving a factual and honest account in stating that Sinn Fein, Fine Gael, and the independents agreed only in December on measures that would see a 3% cut in commercial rates and that council officals will be available to confirm that.