IT is said that the reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.
Limerick councillors, it would appear, some of them, at least, are gluttons for it.
At this Monday’s full meeting of Limerick City and County Council (LCCC), a conversation was had over reviewing the frequency of meetings. Fine Gael councillor Stephen Keary said he was willing to vary it slightly and proposed monthly meetings instead of bi-monthly meetings of the local authority.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Collins took the view that councillors’ already have plenty of meetings, and pointed out that some of them have day jobs as well.
“We have plenty of meetings going on on a regular basis and looking at the agenda today, there’s items that should not be on it. It can be dealt with at district level…I work full time,” Cllr Collins said, proposing that they leave everything as it is.
Cllr Liam Galvin (FG) was not impressed.
“For the first 15 years that I sat here we had monthly meetings. We’re after having the last month of the most severe weather events in my lifetime and we have not met the executive or the mayor in two months. We should have had a meeting the week after the snow to get an update,” he opined.
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan agreed that there is a lot of work to be done but claimed that the workload on Limerick councillors is already three times that of councillors in any other local authority.
“I think this is something that has to be addressed at council level because the workload on Limerick councillors is enormous so I would definitely agree to it, but I can’t because I’m not getting paid enough. I’d have to give up my job and that is just the reality of it. I’ve got a mortgage to pay, bills to pay,” Cllr O’Donovan pointed out.
Twenty three councillors voted in favour of staying bi-monthly and 16 against.
