Donegal County Council’s Budget Meeting takes place today, with members being asked to approve an increase of over €13.2 million in spending.
The council’s draft budget for 2023 anticipates expenditure of just under €175,556,000 in 2023, an 8% increase on last year’s figure.
The total payroll cost for 2023 is almost €88,000,000, a substantial increase on last year. Finance Officer Richard Gibson says this reflects the implementation of the council’s workforce plan, the requirements associated with increased service demands, and the national agreements on public service pay.
Expenditure will increase across all divisions, with a provision of €3.3 million to cover increased energy costs.
In his introduction, Chief Executive John McLaughlin says the the council is not recommending any increase for the year 2023, based on the need to allow many businesses to deal with the
wider inflationary pressures.
However, he adds given that there have been no increases for five consecutive years, it is expected that Commercial Rates will need to rise in future years.
