2002 was an eventful year for the Council as it seeks to continue to deliver quality and competitive services and to be relevant to the needs of the people of the county in the face of continuing and rapid change in society, in government and in the economy.
Among the most significant changes encountered in 2002 was the rapid decline in the fortunes of the world economy which in turn adversely affected the performance of the Irish economy and Government finances. Given that the Council is heavily dependent on Central Government for finance it was perhaps inevitable that this would cause a significant tightening in our financial situation. It is unfortunate that this occurred so quickly after the reorganisation of our staffing structure under the implementation of ‘Better Local Government’. This reorganisation has inevitably increased our staff costs and overheads and coupled with the tightening of our financial position means that there is unlikely to be any additional funds for service improvements in the short term.
Notwithstanding the deterioration in our financial position, the Council continued to introduce improvements to service delivery in 2002. Examples of this include the introduction of extended opening times in the Motor Taxation Office and the continuing work on the development of the ‘One Stop Shop’ in Tubbercurry. The process of improving service delivery requires ongoing commitment and flexibility by management and staff and it is my intention that this improvement process will accelerate in the years ahead.
One of the highlights of the year was the official opening of the refurbished Sligo Courthouse by John O’Donoghue, T.D., Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Whilst the Courthouse is now managed by the Courts Service, the refurbishment project was initiated and managed by the Council and it represented the culmination of the process started some years ago to have restored to their former glory the three great Victorian public buildings in Sligo, the Town Hall, The Model School and The Courthouse.
Other significant events that occurred during the year included the preparation of the 10-year County Development Strategy by the County Development Board and the launch by the Government of the National Spatial Strategy. Both documents envisage a significant future role for Sligo City as a growth centre of regional importance. It will be a major objective of the Council in the coming years to ensure that the aspirations of both documents in relation to Sligo are delivered upon.
Hubert Kearns,
County Manager