Bin charges down but tags increase
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LISTOWEL Town Council has reduced its standing bin charge, exactly in line with the reduction in Kerry County Council's service, to €100.
This follows disquiet by councillors over the ability to sell the service if it had remained at €175, as was proposed at the first budget meeting of the town authority last week.
However, the price of bin tags has been increased in order to make up for the expected shortfall — in a town with a high number of waived refuse fees under social welfare.
At the first budget meeting, councillors warned it would be impossible to sell a €175-service to people whose neighbours would be paying €100 to Kerry County Council.
"As businesses are aware, if you can't sell what you are trying to sell you can close your door. And I can't sell this," Cllr Maria Gorman said at that meeting.
She suggested that some customers might simply take their bins up to the nearest crossroads within the county ambit to capitalise on the lower county charge. A number of councillors agreed with her views, but the matter was effectively parked at the first meeting and revisted nearly a week later as councillors finally adopted the budget for 2010.
At the second meeting it was decided to lower the standing charge to €100; raise the price of the black domestic bin tag from €9 to €11 and the blue recycling bin tag from €5 to €6.
There is no change to the price of the brown organic bin tag, which remains at €2.
