There was a heated debate at a special council meeting held last week to set the district rate for the forthcoming year with a UUP motion to keep the rate at zero per cent and a DUP motion to set the rate at a 1.98 per cent increase both defeated. 
Three recesses were needed, and the meeting stretched to three and a half hours before eventually a rate increase of 2.3 per cent was struck. 
The UUP were accused by other parties of blatant electioneering with Sinn Fein councillors calling their proposal to move towards zero per cent “ridiculous” and an “insult”. 
The DUP motion received a warmer response in the chamber but ultimately it would also be defeated. 
The meeting started with several presentations by Council Officers including Chief Executive Brendan Hegarty. The presentations included a draft budget that was prepared using a rate increase of 2.3 per cent. Council officials explained that the figure of 2.3 per cent was used after prior cross-party meetings to discuss rates for the forth coming year had failed to find consensus among councillors. 
At the last of these meetings Council Chief Executive Brendan Hegarty explained that the “core of the discussion” was around a rate increase of 2.3 per cent and that this figure was the one used to produce the reports and draft budget.
The draft budget showed an expected increase in expenditure for the Council area of 5 per cent for the coming year. 
UUP Councillor Robert Irvine spoke in favour of a zero per cent increase with his party colleagues Councillor Bert Wilson and Councillor Alex Baird proposing and seconding the motion. 
“If the proposal which is shortly about to be made by my colleague, is passed, the Ulster Unionist thinking will be that the Council should look to reduce the cost of services rather than reducing any of the services themselves,” Councillor Irvine stated. 
Before a vote was taken Sinn Fein Councillor, Frankie Donnelly asked for clarity to be provided via the Chief Executive as to whether or not a vote should be taken:
“There has been no mention in working groups or discussions of a zero per cent. And it flies completely in the face of advice that we have been provided with from our chief financial officer and other officers,” he said. 
Mr. Hegarty explained that if the chamber was minded to support a move towards zero per cent that he felt the meeting would have to be stood down. He explained that it would require “in the region of £750,000” to be saved and that it would be impossible to agree the other documents, such as the draft budget, as they had been based on a 2.3 per cent rate increase. He also said that work would need to be done over the weekend to ensure that a new budget could be agreed based on the zero per cent rate before the February 15 deadline.
“I am telling you members if it (the vote) is carried you need to make yourselves available tomorrow and Saturday and Sunday to redo the work that we have done,” Mr Hegarty said. 
The motion was defeated with only the Ulster Unionists voting in favour and all other parties voting against. 
Councillor David Mahon of the DUP then proposed a rate increase of 1.98 per cent but made reference to the zero per cent proposal from the UUP.
“I am just shocked at what is going on in here tonight. We are expected to make a vote on something that we have not one clue what we are voting about. Potentially the Ulster Unionists have the figures to back it up, but we have not seen it. We might as well vote on minus 5 per cent,” he said. 
Councillor Mahon told the meeting that the DUP had come up with the savings and revenue generation that exceeded the £104,000 that was needed to bring the rate down from a 2.3 per cent increase to a 1.98 percent increase. 
These included stacking the four main council meetings a month from four separate days to two days, doing away with refreshments for meetings. A reduction in Chairman receptions, and a reduction in the number of conferences that councillors attend. In the area of income generation Councillor Mahon contended that a significant amount of income could be generated from selling signage throughout the district. 
Sinn Fein Councillor, Sheamus Greene questioned the motives behind the proposals:
“There must be an election this year. Could it be clarified if the UUP or DUP made any of these proposals at any of these sub groups, was zero ever mentioned and figured out how it could be got to. Was there ever discussion on it, were they ever mentioned or were they just bounced on us tonight.”
In response Mr, Hegarty said that they “were mooted” but that “in terms of how we would get there, that was not discussed”. The DUP motion was also defeated after a recess. 
Brendan Gallagher then proposed the 2.3 per cent increase that had been used by officer to create the draft budget:
“The first proposal (UUP motion) tonight could have potentially seen rate payers burdened with £1.3m and that is reckless. The second motion was at least made in good faith but there were elements to it that I could not support,” he said before adding
“But the Council are looking at a 5 per cent increase in expenditure and it was my understanding that the majority of Council were in agreement of a 2.3 increase. There was no alternative suggestions made.”
Councillor Gallagher’s proposal was seconded by independent Councillor Josephine Deehan. 
The motion was passed with Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Independents present voting in favour.