There was no conflict of interest declared.

·         Minutes of Plenary meeting on 23^rd May 2022

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Cummins

            SECONDED by Cllr. Leyden

It was AGREED to adopt the minutes of the Plenary Meeting of 23.05.2022

There were no matters arising.

·         Lease of Ground Floor,Civic Centre, Monksland.

On the PROPOSAL of Councillor Keogh

SECONDED by Councillor Naughten

It was AGREED that the Council consent to the lease of property pursuant to the provisions of Article 206 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, Section 211 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended) and Section 183 of the Local Government Act, 2001 of particulars of property which it is proposed to lease at the location in County Roscommon and to the persons set out in the schedule hereunder.  Particulars of the property which the County Council proposes to lease:

The Property:  Ground Floor of Civic Centre, Monksland, Athlone, Co. Roscommon.

The person(s) to whom the property is to be leased: Health Service Executive (HSE)

The consideration proposed in respect of the lease: €1.27 per annum plus service charges and payment of €260,931.18.

Term of Lease: 99 years from 01/01/1998

·         Report for May 2022

·         Management Report for May 2022 noted.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Cummins

            SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to adopt the Draft Annual Report 2021.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Leyden

            SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to appoint Cllr. Paschal Fitzmaurice as Chairperson of the Housing, ICT and Rural Water Strategic Policy Committee following the resignation of Cllr. John Cummins. 

·         Volunteers at the Welcome Centre, Donomon.

The Cathaoirleach read a statement of appreciation to acknowledge the work done by volunteers at the Welcome Centre in Donamon:

“On March 18th, Cuisle came to life when its rector, Father George Agger SVD (Society of the Divine Word), and the community agreed that they should open their doors to Ukrainian refugees.

Our sincere thanks to Father George and the Divine Word Missionaries for their generosity and kindness and for gifting the refugees a temporary home.

St Patrick’s weekend saw the centre reopen again through the support of an army of volunteers from the Community, the surrounding areas of Donomon, Roscommon County Council, Roscommon Leader Partnership, Roscommon Volunteer Centre, the Civil Defence locals who helped out, the Lions Club and many more who worked tirelessly to make the centre habitable within 24 hours, and on the evening of 19^th March, the first Ukrainian refugees were welcomed to Donomon.  This would not have been possible without the enormous support of all who came out to help over St. Patricks weekend. Today I would like to acknowledge all who came out to Donomon in those first days, the results of which can clearly be seen at the Centre where 70 refugees are situated and availing of wrap around services.

Many supports were required once the refugees were settled and Roscommon County Council sought the aid of Roscommon Volunteer Centre to address the needs of the refugees at the Centre.  The Volunteer Centre did not disappoint us and they physically moved their entire operation out to Donomon to provide the necessary supports such as serving of meals, providing transport to medical appointments, befriending service and house- keeping services.  Roscommon Volunteer Centre continued to provide this support for the next 11 weeks, spearheaded by Shannette Budhai, Manager, and supported by a large network of volunteers, who made themselves available through the volunteer centre.

As Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, I would like to formally acknowledge the work of all the Volunteers who supported the transformation of the Welcome Centre to a home for 70 Ukrainian Refugees and wish the Volunteer Centre every success with their further volunteering endeavours.”

The Chief Executive thanked the Cathaoirleach for appreciation of the volunteers and the paid tribute for the work done by Majella Hunt and Fiona Ni Chuinn since the arrival of the refugees who managed the centre and to the staff from the Council who went to supervise the centre on a rota basis.

The Members welcomed the appreciation of the volunteers and also thanked the Council staff for their work there since March. Shanette and a number of the volunteers have continued to assist at the centre since the management company took over and these people are now part of the community. Roscommon County Council staff solved many problems in relation to the centre and this is a huge ongoing job to house and support the refugees.

It was PROPOSED by Cllr. Leyden

and SECONDED by Cllr. Naughten that the Department  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107.22

The Chief Executive congratulated Cllr. Crosby on his election to the role of Cathaoirleach. He also thanked, on behalf of the management team, the outgoing Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Murphy for his contribution to the county over the past year.

The Chief Executive updated the members on the letter sent to the Minister last month with regard to the ongoing matters to be addressed in respect of the situation at Lough Funshinagh. He acknowledged the efforts of the Minister to date and the OPW and the  positive response to the Councils letter 18^th May. A reply to this letter from Minister O’Donovan was circulated to the Members. The Chief Executive and the Senior Engineer have already met with senior officials from the Department where all of the issues were discussed and documented and certain issues forwarded to the appropriate Departments for consideration. Some of the issues will take some time to deal with as they are complicated and the elected members will be updated as new information is received and more meetings are planned over the coming weeks.

Replies to Resolutions from Roscommon County Council:

·         25^th May, 2022 – Reply from Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, in response to Notice of Motion regarding concerning access to dental services for medical card holders in Roscommon.

Resolutions from other Local Authorities:

·         13th May, 2022 – Notice of Motion, Cork County Council JPC

That Cork JPC would write to the chairperson of each JPC in the country asking them to consider issuing a co-ordinated media release/ campaign on the dangers of increasing incidents of phishing and cybercrime.  

·         17th May, 2022 – Resolution, Cavan County Council

That Cavan County Council write to the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications to state they oppose the ban on the cuffing sale of turf.

·         27^th May, 2022 – Resolution, Galway County Council

That Galway County Council writes to our colleagues in all other Local Authorities and informs them of the recent decision by Galway City and County Councils to support and endorse the rollout of the Public Recognition Marker (PRM) for the LGBTQI+ Community.

·         16^th June, 2022 – Resolution, Clare County Council.

That Clare County Council calls on the Minister for Transport to immediately initiate a review of National Aviation Policy including stakeholder consultation with a view to addressing the over concentration of passenger traffic through Dublin Airport by amending National Aviation Policy to ensure the use of spare capacity at Shannon Airport in the interest of Balanced Regional Development.

·         16^th June, 2022 – Resolution, Sligo County Council.

That Sligo County Council call on the Government to open a public passport office in Sligo to serve communities and people in the West, North-West and North of Ireland.

·         16^th June, 2022 – Resolution, Sligo County Council.

That Sligo County Council write to the Ministers for Social Protection and Justice to ask that the national Abhaile Service (which is currently under review) be secured permanently for the future and that vital Dedicated Mortgage Advisor roles be continued and for the creation of more DMA roles throughout the country.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

            SECONDED by Cllr. Murphy

It was AGREED to adopt the list of payments for training and conferences as circulated.

Cllr. Murphy congratulated Cllr. Crosby on his election today and wished him all the best for the coming year following a successful year as Cathaoirleach of the Boyle Municipal District.

The Elected Members echoed the words of congratulations and welcomed the Cathaoirleach’s family to the gallery for his first official plenary meeting of the new year. They also congratulated the Leas Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Fallon on his election.

Tributes were paid to the outgoing Cathaoirleach and Leas-Cathaoirleach Cllrs Murphy and Leyden on their representation on behalf of County Roscommon.