Council to consider draft budget and District Rate at Special Council meeting
31st January 2020
A special meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council will take place on Thursday 6 February 2020 at the Townhall, Enniskillen, to agree a Council budget and to strike the District Rate for 2020-2021.
The District Rate is set by the Council annually to fund local Council services and investment in infrastructure to improve the wellbeing of the Fermanagh and Omagh district, its residents and ratepayers.
The Council has focussed on minimising the impact of the 2020-2021 District Rate on ratepayers while ensuring it continues to provide high quality, value for money services to residents, ratepayers and visitors to the district.
Despite the uncertainty of future Central Government funding, inflationary and statutory price increases and externally imposed waste management targets, the Council anticipates that it will make a minimal increase to the 2020-2021 District Rate on February 6 by offsetting these costs through its ongoing programme of sound financial management and business planning.
This programme has included securing more than £6.7 million external grant aid to offset the cost to ratepayers of key projects and programmes designed to improve the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the Fermanagh and Omagh district. It has also made £500,000 efficiency savings across a number of service areas; increased total revenue at a number of its income generating facilities through improved business management and planning; and made prudent use of its financial reserves to resource key services and projects.
The draft budget has been developed following extensive financial planning by Council Members and Officers which has taken all these factors into consideration to ensure that adequate financial resource is available to meet Council priorities linked to the Fermanagh and Omagh Community Plan 2030 and the Council’s Corporate Plan 2020-2024.
Extensive consideration has also been given to the outcome of the 2020 Revaluation of non-domestic properties which was undertaken by Land and Property Services (LPS).
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council will meet at 7pm on Thursday 6 February 2020 at the Townhall, Enniskillen to agree the budget for the 2020-2021 financial year and to set the District Rate that will apply for the incoming financial year for Fermanagh and Omagh ratepayers.