Galway Bay fm newsroom - City Councillors will next week debate a draft budget for 2021 worth over €100m which leaves property tax and commercial rate unchanged.
It comes as the Chief Executive of the local authority has acknowledged that 2020 has been one of the hardest years on record.
This year's proposed draft budget is worth €102.5m - an increase of almost €3m on the figure for last year.
Councillors voted not to increase local property tax this year, so the extra allocations will come from other areas - including savings in operating costs following European Capital of Culture 2020.
Commercial rates will make up the bulk of the budget at €37m, unchanged from last year.
Chief Executive Brendan McGrath notes that 2020 has been one of the hardest years on record.
Galway was expected to have 3 million visitors this year on the back of the Capital of Culture title - instead, Covid-19 has seen footfall on the streets reduced by almost 80 percent.
Despite the unprecedented shortfalls and hardships experienced across the city as a result of the ongoing pandemic, the Chief Executive says the demand for services continues to grow, matched by public expectations.
Priority areas identified in the draft budget include Housing, Transportation, Water Services, Planning & Economic Development, Climate Action, Sustainability, Recreation & Amenity services and the areas of Culture, Community & Heritage.
Key capital projects for 2021 include housing developments, traffic management plans, improved access at Parkmore, urban regeneration projects, improved public spaces, additional recreation and amenity facilities, climate action initiatives, extending Galway City Museum and advancing plans for flood defense works.
The largest single allocation in the draft budget is to Housing & Building, which has been costed at €39m - almost 40 percent of the entire budget.
A further €17m will go towards Recreation & Amenity, while €15m has been allocated to Road, Transport & Safety.
City Councillors will gather at Leisureland in Salthill on Monday afternoon to discuss the draft budget.
