Management Report to Council

Transcription

1 Management Report to Council O ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION, HEALTH AND SAFETY O PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT O EMERGENCY SERVICES AND LIBRARIES AND CULTURE O FINANCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1 P age July 2018

2 ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION, HEALTH AND SAFETY DIRECTORATE Update on Projects 2 P age Project Pavement & Minor Improvement Schemes N52 Borrisokane Street Improvement Works Comprising of: (N52 Borrisokane Town plus approach (1.7km)) (N52/N65 Junction (Borrisokane) Safety Scheme) (N52 Birr Road Borrisokane (0.5km)) (N52 Culvert Repair) N62 Slievenamon Road- Phase 1, Thurles Current Position All N52 Borrisokane schemes are now combined into a single scheme. All are included in the new Part 8 which the Nenagh District Council adopted on 14 th September The works contract tender was advertised on e-tenders on June 25th with a closing date for return of tenders of July 27th, Subject to approvals and tendering process progressing as planned, works are programmed to begin Q The Works for this Contract were completed on site on 15 th June A number of snags remain to be completed as well as administration and final account to be agreed. A 12 month maintenance period will follow. N65 Carrigahorig The design for this scheme is being undertaken by the Mid West National Road Design Office. A topographic survey has been completed. A flood study has been completed indicating the finished road levels required to mitigate against future road closures due to flooding. An appropriate assessment will be required and possibly a full EIA due to proximity to Lough Derg and Special Area of Conservation. The design for this scheme is progressing. N62 Camlin Surface Replacement Camlin Pavement Scheme was completed N62 Lismakin Surface Replacement on 8 th Nov 17. The N62 Lismakin scheme involves the rehabilitation of approximately 1.8km of pavement on the N62 Road from Lismakin to Kyleannagh. The works contract tender was advertised on e-tenders on June 11th with a closing date for return of tenders of June 29th, It is anticipated that construction will start in August N62 Scart Roscrea Surface Replacement Scart Roscrea was completed in Jan 2018 and is within the maintenance period. N74 Ballyhusty Realignment Comments have been received from TII which need to be incorporated into the documents.

3 N24 Ballydrehid Toureen Realignment N24 Bansha Pavement Improvement Scheme N74 Golden Pavement Improvement Scheme N24 Clonmel Pavement Improvement Scheme N24 Carrick-on-Suir N52 Riverstown Various other schemes Other Schemes Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir Greenway (Part of Cahir to Carrick-on-Suir Blueway) TII assessing Preliminary designs in order to decide scheme potential. Topographical survey is complete and documents for tender and construction are in preparation. This scheme will be constructed in Topographical survey is complete and documents for tender and construction are in preparation. This scheme will be constructed in A 7 Km pavement scheme has been advised by TII for the section of the N24 from the Cahir Road Roundabout along the Inner Relief Road as far as Bulmers. Preparation of documents is ongoing, various surveys are being carried out. Approx 75% of this is expected to be constructed in Pavement and safety Improvement of two sections in Carrick-on-Suir, between the 50kph speed limit on the Clonmel Rd and the New Street (R697 junction), and also on Pill Road from the railway bridge to the county boundary are in preparation for tender and construction in A 2.1km pavement improvement scheme has been advised by TII for a section of the N52 in Riverstown village. The scheme also involves some footpath replacement, drainage works and the provision of traffic lights and a footway on the bridge across the Little Brosna River.1.6km of the scheme is in Tipperary, while the remaining 0.5km is in Offaly. Offaly County Council is the lead authority and a Section 85 Agreement is in place between the two local authorities. Design and tender documents are currently under preparation. As it is a pavement scheme there is no requirement for statutory planning procedures such as Part 8 etc. The scheme will be going to tender in Q3. It is anticipated that the work will be completed in Q4. Consultants will be appointed in Q2/Q3 to prepare proposals for pavement improvement schemes at: Slievenamon Rd Phase 2, Thurles, between the Dunnes Roundabout and junction with Liberty Square, Main St. And Fr Matthew St. Tipperary. Within Section 2 (Anner River to Kilsheelan) the 600m section omitted from earlier contract has now been completed. Tarmac has recently been applied to complete the last section at Kilsheelan. A budget of 3 P age

4 Safety Schemes N24 Pill Road, Carrick-on-Suir Pedestrian Facilities at schools. N24 Pill Road, Carrick-on-Suir Rail Bridge N24 Davitt St Traffic Calming & Pavement Strengthening(Tipperary Town) Strategic Non-National Road Projects Thurles Inner Relief Road R498 Nenagh to Thurles Upgrade Knockalton Kilconane R498 Road Realignment at Latteragh bends Ballina/Killaloe By Pass Shannon Bridge Crossing & R494 Improvement Scheme. 100,000 has been agreed for maintenance in Information boards, signage of the route from the N24 & traffic counters also need to be done. Safety measures are being designed to be incorporated into the proposed pavement scheme being prepared for Pill Road. TCC is preparing designs for the repair of the handrail underneath the Pill Road Rail Bridge and which will be incorporated into the proposed pavement scheme being prepared for Pill Road Irish Water have completed their works on site and the pavement scheme has now been advertised on e-tenders. It is anticipated that works will commence in Q3 of Temporary surfacing has been placed on Davitt Street for the interim period between the Irish Water and pavement contracts. Scheme approved by An Bord Pleanala. Prelim design completed. Awaiting funding to proceed. Land Agreements have been completed with all 6 landowners. The design and an advance hedge cutting contract are now complete. The works contract tender was advertised on e-tenders on June 29th with a closing date for return of tenders of August 14th, Subject to approvals and tendering process progressing as planned, works are programmed to begin in Q The Nenagh Municipal District adopted the Part 8 on 24 th August Department approval to move to the next stage Planning, Design and Statutory Procedures has been received. It is expected that the CPO can be published in Q and to conclude after Oral hearing Q Consulting Engineer has been appointed and preparation of final detailed design is about to commence. It is anticipated that Tender Documents should be available in early P age

5 Restoration Improvement & Restoration Maintenance Programmes Municipal District Area RI Allocation RM Allocation incl Sup RM Nenagh 3,047, ,855 Thurles 2,483, ,030 Clonmel 1,918, ,205 Cashel Tipperary 2,031, ,570 Carrick on-suir 1,805, ,840 E- Parking E- Parking has been rolled out to 9 towns throughout County Tipperary. This new service is an additional, more convenient way of paying for parking. Methods of payment for parking by members of the public include Smartphone app, website or phone call. The traditional Pay and Display machines are still in operation with a new network of 26 machines recently installed in Carrick on Suir. To promote E-parking a competition was held from 16 th to 27 th of April 2018 on Tipp FM to encourage people to download the E-parking app. This competition was very successful with an average of 100 people per day entering the competition. During the two weeks promotion period a total of 248 downloads of the E- parking app occurred. Community Involvement Schemes (CIS) This scheme applies to Community groups who wish to have Local Roads (mainly LT roads) improved and are willing to contribute to the overall cost of the scheme. The contributions must account for 15% of the cost of the works by way of financial contribution. A total of 96 applications were received for the 2018 scheme and were considered subject to available funding and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme. An application has been submitted to the Department of Rural and Community Development and a funding allocation has been received. Successful applicants have been notified and the majority of relevant contributions has been paid to date. Works will commence over the coming weeks. Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) Scheme This scheme applies to non-public accommodation roads. A local financial contribution is payable by applicants. A total of 105 applications were received for the 2018 scheme and these applications were considered in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme. An application was submitted by this Council to the Department of Rural and Community Development which has been approved with an amount of 625,582 made available. Successful applicants have been notified and the majority of relevant contributions has been paid to date. Works will commence over the coming weeks. Clar 2018 The Roads Section has made a submission of 12 roads projects with a total cost of 327,555 under Measure 1 (support for schools community safety measures) to the Department of Rural and Community Development. This was the maximum number of applications which were permitted in accordance with the Department of Rural and Community Development requirements. This Council is awaiting a response from the Department of Rural and Community Development in respect of this application. Public Lighting Roads Section & the Municipal Districts deal with public lighting queries on a daily basis & Airtricity are notified of the relevant queries. Corrective action is taken as appropriate and where budget permits. 5 P age

6 Tipperary County Council has responsibility for the management and maintenance of more than 16,000 lights in the County. These lights are maintained under contract by Airtricity who were the successful tenderer in a competition held in early Tipperary County Council does not have responsibility for maintenance of lights on the Motorway Network. Public Lighting is the single biggest user of energy in the overall Council s energy usage. Over the past number of years the Council has introduced LED lighting in a number of new and replacement public lighting projects. Over the coming years, it is likely that there will be a significant conversion to LED lighting. Globally, Sox lights are being phased out in favour of LED lights. This Council has and will continue to avail of external funding where same is available from SEAI and TII for energy efficiency projects. Tipperary County Council has successfully sought and received funding for the upgrading of 25 lights at Slievenamon Road in Thurles. This upgrade will be 100% funded by TII and will be completed before year s end. In 2017, the Council targeted some of our villages where there are currently lighting deficits. We have also targeted some of the arterial routes into our towns, in some cases to make energy efficiencies and in some instances to improve poor lighting. General maintenance including upgrading of brackets, columns, and interface boxes is also ongoing as part of these schemes. It is intended to continue the programme of LED upgrades in Members will be advised of new public lighting works across all five Municipal Districts within the next two months. Taking in Charge Process During the period from the 1 st of January 2018 to 30 th of June 2018 the following 8 housing estates have been taken in charge: 1. Kylemore, Cashel Road, Clonmel 2. Boru Court, Grange Road, Ballina 3. Roundhill, Shesheraghmore, Finnoe Road, Borrisokane 4. Cluain Ard, Parkmore, New Line, Roscrea 5. Cluain Glas, Templemore Road, Thurles 6. The Paddocks, Stradavoher, Thurles 7. Manor Close, Gate and View, Carrick Beg, Carrick on Suir 8. Glencarrick, Scart, Roscrea Launch of First All-County Tipperary Road Safety Strategy Tipperary County Council, in conjunction with its partners, the Road Safety Authority (RSA), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), An Garda Síochána (AGS), Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service and the HSE/National Ambulance Service has launched a strategy for road safety in Tipperary. This is the first all-county Road Safety Strategy for Tipperary and covers the period It is based on the Government Road Safety Strategy and sets the ambitious target of reducing fatalities and serious injuries to 4 and 10 respectively per year in County Tipperary by This will require a reduction of 69% on the 2016 figures and requires a co-ordinated approach to road safety promotion. The Mission Statement contained in the strategy is to create a greater awareness of road safety through all our stakeholders with the aim of reducing the number, severity and lifechanging impact of road collisions, thereby making County Tipperary a safer place for all road users. 6 P age

7 The Strategy will examine specific local issues relevant to Tipperary. It offers a strategic direction for road safety in Tipperary in terms of Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Evaluation. This requires a co-ordinated approach between all the stakeholders to provide a focus on collision and casualty reduction in the county and to try to improve overall safety levels within our communities. It is the sincere hope of all the stakeholders that the continued focus on Road Safety in County Tipperary as part of this Road Safety Strategy will contribute further to collision and casualty reduction in the County over the lifetime of the Strategy. The Strategy also encourages all members of the community to play an active part in reducing fatalities and injuries on Tipperary s roads by taking responsibility for their own behaviour as road users. Keep Safe Event A Road Safety Representative from Roads Section of Tipperary County Council attended a Keep Safe Event in the Scouts Hall, Nenagh on the 14 th June The Keep Safe programme is sponsored by the Health and Safety Authority and facilitated by Junior Achievement Ireland who bring together 5th and 6th class children from primary schools in various locations for a Keep Safe event. These events have been held nationwide. State agencies and regional organisations with a safety remit come together to talk to children with a common message Keeping Safe. The event is an opportunity to present children with practical safety messages in a new and interesting way in order to keep themselves safe in any number of situations. Keep Safe takes place over a morning where children from local schools arrive at a central venue, accompanied by their teachers. Approximately one hundred and twenty 5th and 6th class school children from local primary schools took part in the Keep Safe event. The Primary Schools which attended in Nenagh were Carrig Primary School, Ballycommon, CBS Primary School, Nenagh, St. Mary s Primary School, Nenagh and Gael Scoil Nenagh. The children were organised into groups of ten. Each agency presented a ten-minute interactive scenario to their group on a series of safety issues such as road, water and coastal safety, construction safety, electricity, farm safety, travelling safely, and personal safety. As the event took place during National Bike Week an interactive talk/demonstration was given by the Road Safety Representative on cycling safely. The other agencies who participated on the day were ESB, Bus Éireann, Irish Water Safety, RNLI, Teagasc, An Garda Síochána, Tipperary Fire and Rescue Services and Tipperary Civil Defence. Balance Bike Blitz A Road Safety Representative also attended two Balance Bike Blitz events which were organised by Tipperary Sports Partnership and Tipperary County Childcare Committee for National Bike Week. They were organised for Pre-School children and consisted of a number of events including Road Safety. In the Road Safety Event the children were guided around a road safety obstacle course which included a pedestrian crossing, traffic lights and a level (train) crossing. They were taught through play to look out for the lollipop lady, slow down at traffic lights, stop if the light is red, to watch out for pedestrians crossing and stop at a level crossing if the barriers are down. The events took place in Moyle Rovers GAA Club, Clonmel and The Dome, Thurles. Seven pre-schools attended in Clonmel and six in Thurles giving a total of approximately 222 children who participated. 7 P age

8 PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORATE Strategies/Policies/Plans Preparation of Regional and Spatial Economic Strategies (RSES) The Southern Regional Assembly has formally commenced the preparation of the Southern Region Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES). An issues paper has been published and submissions were invited up to 16 th February, A formal submission is currently being prepared and has been circulated to the Elected Members for observations. The Council has also participated in the making of a submission on behalf of local authorities and stakeholders in the Mid-West and South East Regions and a separate submission was made concerning the N24. The Regional Assembly recently agreed to defer formal consideration of the Draft RSES to the September Monthly meeting of the Assembly. Cluster Guidelines The preparation of Cluster and Serviced Site Guidelines is an objective of the North and South Tipperary County Development Plans (as varied), in order to facilitate and promote the growth and viability of the rural villages in the County. In order to meet this objective, and following a tendering process, the Council has appointed Kenneth Hennessy Architects to prepare draft Cluster Guidelines. These guidelines will provide best practice options for small housing schemes to encourage the development of high quality homes to meet the needs of the rural population. Structures at Risk The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht launched the Structures at Risk Scheme (2018) in December, The purpose of the scheme is to assist with works to safeguard structures protected under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) where, in the opinion of the Department, an urgent need for works to such structures has been demonstrated. The Council has assessed the applications received in accordance with the terms of the scheme and recommended 5 no. projects to the Department, for consideration for grant assistance. 2 of these projects received Departmental approval. Built Heritage Scheme The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht launched the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (2018) in December, The purpose of the scheme is to encourage the leveraging of private capital to invest in a number of small-scale, labour-intensive projects to repair and conserve structures protected under the Planning and Development Act Tipperary County Council was allocated 50,000 under the Scheme. The Council has assessed the applications received in accordance with the terms of the scheme and recommended 13 no. projects to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, for consideration for grant assistance. The Department has accepted our recommendation and the successful applicants have been notified that they have been provisionally approved subject to compliance with the conditions of the Scheme. 8 P age

9 Renewable Energy Strategy and Energy in Agriculture Conference Tipperary County Council in partnership with Teagasc, Tipperary Energy Agency and Gurteen College, has commenced work on organising the Energy in Agriculture Event 2018 which will take place on 21 st August Number of Planning Applications received A total of 768 planning applications were received from 1 st January to 15 th June applications were deemed invalid and 28 were withdrawn. During the period 478 applications were decided with 463 being granted planning permission and 15 being refused. Further information was requested in 231 cases. Enforcement Proceedings There were 116 complaints made from 1 st January to 15th June During this period 98 Warning Letters and 23 Enforcement Notices issued. Taking in Charge Ten estates have been taken in charge to date this year. Estate Name District Units Boru Court Nenagh 40 Roundhill Nenagh 6 Kylemore Clonmel 32 Glencarrick Templemore-Thurles 83 Manor Close Carrick-On-Suir 18 Manor Gate Carrick-On-Suir 6 Manor View Carrick-On-Suir 4 The Paddocks Templemore-Thurles 14 Cluain Ard Templemore-Thurles 40 Cluain Glas Templemore-Thurles 122 A further fifteen estates have been advertised for taking in charge. Estate Name District Units Bruach Taille Nenagh 78 Whitethorn Hill Templemore-Thurles 11 Cregg Lawn Carrick-On-Suir 50 Derg Manor Nenagh 12 Derryclose Nenagh 11 Farranlahassery Carrick-On-Suir 80 Gurteen Grove Nenagh 5 Harbour View Nenagh 5 Killeen Court Nenagh 8 Lough Derg Cottages Nenagh 6 Pallas Derg Nenagh 41 Silver Mews Nenagh 20 Mount Saint Nicolas Carrick-On-Suir 12 Ravenswood Carrick-On-Suir 70 Marlstone Manor Templemore-Thurles 77 9 P age

10 EMERGENCY SERVICES, LIBRARIES AND CULTURAL SERVICES DIRECTORATE 1. EMERGENCY SERVICES FIRE SERVICES Cashel Fire Station Project Approval was given by the Department to construct a new Fire Station in Cashel and a site for this Station was secured in Wallers Lot, Cashel in May An Invitation to Tender for the provision of consultancy services for this new Fire Station was published in August 2017 and tenders were received in October Following an assessment of the tenders a recommendation was submitted to the Department in February 2018 and we are confident that we will soon receive approval to appoint Design Team. A detailed design of the new Station will then be carried out and the project will then proceed to the Part 8 Planning and Public Consultation Stage. Templemore Fire Station Project It is expected to issue tender documents to pre-qualified contractors by mid-july and hopefully then have a recommendation regarding a new contractor by mid-august. It is hoped that the contractor will then be in a position to commence on site in mid-september. Borrisokane Fire Station We have approval from Water Services to transfer the swimming pool site to the Fire Services. A deal has also been finalised to purchase the old shed and site adjacent to the Fire Station site and this property transfer is currently been processed by the Property Section. It is then intended to prepare a Master Plan for the site and to initiate discussions with Department to secure their approval to proceed with the project. Business Continuity Business continuity is the capability of an organisation to continue delivery of products or services at acceptable predefined levels following a disruptive incident. It is clear that in a world where technology is advancing at unprecedented levels, these disruptive incidents are now more complex than ever to avoid and solve. The development of a Business Continuity Management System would require us to put in place a well defined incident response structure. This would ensure that when incidents occur, responses are escalated in a timely manner and people are empowered to take the necessary actions to be effective. The system would be designed to protect against, reduce the likelihood of occurrence, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptive incidents when they arise. A risk assessment would seek to understand the risks to the business in a structured way and these would inform the development of business continuity strategy. Steps to avoid or reduce the likelihood of incidents would be developed alongside steps to be taken when incidents do occur. As it is impossible to completely predict and prevent all incidents, the approach of balancing risk reduction and planning for all eventualities is complementary. It might be said, hope for the best and plan for the worst. We are in the early stages of a procurement process to procure consultants to assist in the development of the Business Continuity Management System which we intend to be auditable to the international standard ISO 22301: 2012 Societal Security -- Business Continuity Management Systems. We have also received verbal approval from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management for financial support to develop the system on a pilot basis in Tipperary and envisage that we will have a system in place by Q1, P age

11 Main Activities in 2018 (up to 30th June, 2018) Number of emergency calls attended: 725 Number of Fire Safety Certificate applications received: 48 Number of Fire Safety Certificate applications granted: 44 Number of Disability Access Certificates received: 35 Number of Disability Access Certificates granted: 38 Number of Commencement Notices received: 182 CIVIL DEFENCE On the 17 th June five members Civil Defence attended Helicopter training with Killaloe Coast guard and the Shannon based rescue Helicopter. The training was held in Killaloe Coast Guard station (Theory) and Killaloe GAA pitch (Practical). Tipperary Civil Defence assisted Kilkenny Civil Defence with a missing persons search on the 24 th June and deployed a drone unit. This was the first deployment of the unit since Tipperary were select earlier this year by the Department of Defence to expand the search capabilities with the use Drone technologies. On the 26 th June Civil Defence responded to a garda request for assistance in the search for a missing person in the Roscrea Area. Fourteen members responded. Civil Defence utilised ground crews, the Drone, and the Search Dog. Also involved were Killaloe Coast Guard and Rescue 115 from Shannon. Tipperary Civil Defence provided support at twenty five community events in May/June. These included: County Museum Children's day, Ballyporeen Festival (3 days), Clancy Music festival, Pink Challenge Cycle, Crinniu na nog, Nenagh Classic Car run, Thurles Festival of Sport, and St. Declan's Way Walk. 2. CULTURAL SERVICES LIBRARY SERVICES Capital Projects Cllr. Dr Phyll Bugler, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council officially opened the new Library for Tipperary Town located in the Tipperary Excel Centre on 24th May Main Activities from May to June An Exercise class for older people was given by Fiona Ward from FRX fitness in Borrisokane Library on 17th May as part of the Bealtaine Festival. A Zumba class for older people was held in Borrisokane Library on 23rd May as part of the Bealtaine Festival. The launch of County Tipperary Historical Journal 2018 took place in Tipperary Studies, Thurles on 9th June. A line dancing class took place in Roscrea Library on 4th May as part of the Bealtaine Festival. A talk on travel for seniors was given in Roscrea Library by Trudi O'Leary, Roscrea Travel on 11th May as part of the Bealtaine Festival. A music session by Monk's Musicians took place in The Source Library, Thurles on 26th May as part of the Bealtaine Festival. The play, "The Six Mary's" performed by Jean Farrell and Catherine Gallagher was hosted by Cashel Library (8th May), Clonmel Library (9th May) and Nenagh Library (10th May) as part of the Bealtaine Festival. A Country and Western Music Set was performed by DJ Noel Madden in Cashel Library on 30th and 31st May in Cashel Library as part of the Bealtaine Festival. 11 P age

12 A Cyber Awareness event in association with Bank Of Ireland was held in Cashel Library on 21st June. A yoga class for beginners took place in Killenaule Library on 3rd May. Clonmel Library in partnership with CALMAST (Centre for the Advancement of Learning of Maths, Science and Technology), WIT, hosted a workshop entitled Under Your Skin on 22nd May. Pupils from Presentation National School were shown some of the science behind the workings of the human body. Clonmel Library hosted the Oliver Corbett Magic Show to launch the Summer Reading Programme 2018 on 6th June. Olive Collins, author of The tide between us held a book reading and Q&A session in Clonmel Library on 22nd June. The Source Library, Thurles hosted a family fun day on Saturday 23 rd June to celebrate Cruinniú na nóg A Day of Youthful Creativity as part of the Library Service's Creative Ireland Programme. Events included magic, face-painting, ballooning and music for the younger children. Pavement Art and drumming workshops were held on the boardwalk. Robotics workshops took place in the Library at 3 different times during the day for Junior Robotics, Senior Engineering and Senior Robotics. These workshops gave the children from ages 7-16 years the opportunity to make and create using Lego and work with others as part of a team under the instruction of LEGO education academy instructors. As part of its role as a Europe Direct Information Centre, Nenagh Library hosted a lecture by Prof. Brian Lucey, Trinity College on 28th June. Prof. Lucey addressed the issues relating to Brexit in relation to Ireland. To celebrate Europe Day, Nenagh Library held a Schools table quiz entitled "Let's explore Europe". Over 60 children from 4 local schools participated and the overall winners were Bishop Harty NS, Ballinree. Carrick-on-Suir Library hosted a talk by Dr Sabine Eggers entitled The importance of looking after our emotional well-being. A Pilates for Men class was held in Carrick-on-Suir Library on 18th May as part of the Healthy Ireland Library programme. The Dogs Trust visited Carrick-on-Suir Library on June 19th and gave a talk to pupils of Newtown Upper National School on how to take care of your dog. ARTS SERVICES Grants awarded: Arts Act Grant Scheme This grant scheme is intended to assist organisations in stimulating public interest in the arts, promoting the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts or in improving standards in the arts in the county. Grants totalling 32,600 were approved for 36 groups and organisations across the County by the Elected Members at the May meeting of Tipperary County Council. Tipperary Artists Schemes The aim of the Tipperary Artists Support Schemes is to encourage artists to live and work in Tipperary through supporting the development of artistic work and practice and includes a range of 6 bursaries and schemes. Grants were awarded to 24 Tipperary Artists to support their development and/or practice. 16 grants were awarded under the Tipperary Artists Award towards the development of artists' practice across artforms. 1 bursary was awarded to attend the Blas International Summer School for Traditional Irish Music and Dance taking place in June/July. 1 bursary was awarded to support artistic development through the Local Drama Scheme. 12 P age

13 2 Young Music Bursaries were awarded to support the development of young musicians. 3 bursaries to the Tyrone Guthrie Centre to support Tipperary artists in the development of their work at this unique workplace for artists. Main activities, May - June: The Tipperary Bealtaine Festival is a month long festival organised by The Arts Office in partnership with Tipperary Libraries which celebrates creativity in older age. 91 events took place in Day Care Centres, Libraries, Arts Centres and Community Halls across the county in the areas of film, visual arts, music, literature, theatre and dance. Initial feedback indicates that in the region of 2,500 people participated in the festival in Culture Night Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. It will take place on Friday 21 st September 2018 from 4pm till late. The initiative has captured both the public imagination and the enthusiasm of artists and cultural organisations. Tipperary Arts Office has been successful in its application for match funding to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and will co-ordinate a county-wide programme of events. The Tipperary Dance Platform is a programme for the promotion and development of contemporary dance in County Tipperary supported by The Arts Council. During May and June, a range of initiatives took place at various locations including dance residencies for professional dance practitioners and All Day Do Dance - a community dance initiative at Nenagh Arts Centre. Funding support was provided to a range of Festivals which are taking place during the summer months through the Tipperary Festivals & Events Scheme. Event details are available at Ongoing provision of information, advice and support to the arts sector within the county continues to be provided by the Arts Office. HERITAGE SERVICES Heritage Plan Actions: The River Suir Heritage Audit is progressing and fieldwork is currently ongoing in the study area. The All County Swift Survey is getting good collaboration on the ground from the towns and villages in the county. Heritage Week: Registration is open for events and the Heritage Office is planning a number of free events across the county. European Commission Brussels Cultural Heritage Meeting: 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage and this is being run through the Heritage Council in Ireland. The Heritage Council brought a delegation of 25 Heritage Professionals to Brussels on the 5 and 6 th of June to meet with members of the Commission and Parliament and to discuss matters relating to Cultural heritage which covered built and natural heritage and how we can interact with Europe in relation to this. The Heritage Officer was one of 7 Heritage Officers that attended from Ireland. Biodiversity Actions: The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht issued a call for submissions for Biodiversity Actions in each County. An application was submitted and funding of 8,000 was confirmed to carry out the following actions: - The provision and of a video in conjunction with All Ireland Pollinator Plan about pollinator actions for farms. 13 P age

14 - Supporting Water Services in rolling out pollinator actions at our pump sites and reservoirs. - The provision of Swift boxes at a number of buildings to tie in with the county survey A call was also made for actions in relation to Invasive Species on the Invasive Species of Union Concern list and we are awaiting the outcome of this process. Creative Ireland: 28 Groups were allocated funding under the Community Grant Scheme. An Open Call for Creative Professionals to work with Groups in the County during 2018 and 2019 will be launched at the start of July. Tania Bannotti has taken over as the National Director of the Creative Ireland Programme. Cruinniú na nog took place at 3 venues across the county on June 23 rd, engaging children with creativity to great success. All activities were free to the public with over 1,200 taking part in activities and we are currently looking to expand the number of sites next year. Commemorations: An action plan has been submitted to the Department highlighting the key events over the next few years in relation to the remainder of the decade of centenaries for Tipperary. The strength of activity of local groups on the ground around the county was emphasised. The Expert Advisory committee have yet to set down the criteria for how the next round of commemorations will proceed. A number of local groups have expressed interest in putting on events and are currently engaged in projects of this nature. Others Activities: Engaged with National Monuments Service and local group in relation to Glenkeane Graveyard. A meeting took place with a Bord na Mona Ecologist in relation to Bog rehabilitation initiatives in Littleton Bog. TIPPERARY COUNTY MUSEUM Capital Projects: Flights of Discovery Project The Museum s Application to Fáilte Ireland for Storytelling Interpretation Funding has been successful and we have been awarded 200,000. Main Activities, May-June Museum Standards Programme of Ireland: M.S.P.I. Reviewing policies and ensuring standards are upheld. Conservation Hogan Jersey was sent to a Dublin conservator in May Received 3,000 from the GMA fund to display Civic Regalia display mounts working with selected companies at present. Currently researching the possibility of conserving Robert Ballagh s Screen Prints x 18 units. Temporary Exhibitions 2018 Gaelcholaiste Cheitinn Exhibition themed WW1 opened May 1 st P age

15 Community exhibition Post Office People relocated into the Collections Gallery. With Tipperary Tourism, an all county postcard competition and exhibition was launched in May. STAG 50 was launched on 21 st June in the Museum and includes current members of STAG and past members who are now working in the professional sphere. Education Programme: We celebrated National Museum Day on Fri 18 th May Clonmel Show School Pedigree Farm Day 31 st May approx 500 NS students shuttled to and from Museum. Building Detectives Map themed around Nenagh s Town Architecture was launched in St Mary s School, Nenagh in May. We plan to roll it out across the County. STAG 50 exhibition will also be supported by an education and outreach programme of events. Loans to other Institutions Tipperary County Museum loaned its Robert Ballagh print Liberty through the Barricades to South Tipperary Arts Centre until June Recent Acquisitions: We received a Watercolour painting of the Westgate, Clonmel from a USA donor. 15 P age

16 FINANCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE FINANCE Tipperary County Council Revenue Account Income & Expenditure Summary by Service Division Year to Date 31 st May 2018 EXPENDITURE INCOME NET Expenditure Adopted Full Year Budget % Budget Spent to date Budget Remaining Income Adopted Full year Budget % Budget Raised Budget outstanding Actual Overall Surplus/ (Deficit) A Housing & Building 12,690,422 29,247,504 43% 16,557,082 12,676,848 29,360,589 43% 16,683,741 (13,573) B Road Transport & Safety 14,379,558 43,032,388 33% 28,652,830 7,403,235 26,638,368 28% 19,235,133 (6,976,323) C Water Services 5,469,594 13,870,456 39% 8,400,862 5,123,544 13,476,708 38% 8,353,164 (346,050) D Development Management 5,449,611 11,928,830 46% 6,479,219 2,313,780 4,116,823 56% 1,803,043 (3,135,831) E Environmental Services 8,414,755 20,552,045 41% 12,137,290 1,948,688 5,342,174 36% 3,393,486 (6,466,067) F Recreation & Amenity 5,116,083 12,864,068 40% 7,747,985 1,141,828 2,798,879 41% 1,657,051 (3,974,255) G Agriculture, Education, Health & Welfare 421,992 1,284,898 33% 862, , ,769 34% 411,352 (208,575) H Miscellaneous Services 5,623,791 13,811,843 41% 8,188,052 2,431,760 6,088,921 40% 3,657,161 (3,192,031) LG Local Property Tax ,306,047 27,134,513 42% 15,828,466 11,306,047 RA Rates 0 0 0% 0 12,920,952 31,010,288 42% 18,089,336 12,920,952 57,565, ,592,032 39% 89,026,228 57,480, ,592,032 39% 89,111,934 (85,706) Early Payment Scheme for Rates 2018 In 2018 the Early Payment Scheme for Rates is available once again. A maximum possible reduction of 250 to 300 may be applied, as a financial support, to occupiers of commercial Properties with total annual Commercial Rates bills of up to 12,000 in 2018, subject to the criteria. Details of the scheme were sent with rate demand notes to all rate payers. Registration is to be submitted with payment before 31 st July 2018 or 30 th September, depending on Scheme condition 16 P age

17 Capital Account Year to Date 31 st May 2018 Expenditure Expenditure YTD Income Total income YTD A Housing & Building 7,712,823 6,185,628 B Road Transport & Safety 1,368,334 1,163,491 C Water Services 1,078, ,455 D Development Management 856,065 1,559,307 E Environmental Services 324, ,694 F Recreation & Amenity 398,026 13,876 G Agriculture, Education, Health & Welfare 0 0 H Miscellaneous Services 1,426,559 4,120,724 Total 13,164,940 13,858,174 Collection Rates YTD YTD YTD Rates 32% 27% 82% Rents 97% 92% 99% Housing Loans 71% 68% 84% 17 P age

18 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The projects commenced/progressed/completed by the IT section during the last two months are as follows: Continued with the upgrade of our system to MS exchange 2013 and the decoupling from the national Active Directory forest o Migrated 90% of our accounts o Reconfigured ipads\phones where required and reconfigured the mobile device management system (MDM) Continued providing advice and assistance regarding IT elements of the new offices in Carrick on Suir. Facilitated cabling requirements for Town CCTV. Replace phone system in Ballingarrane House with IP telephony Deployed IP phones in Ballaghveny Provided network connectivity (wireless connection) to the LAWCO Office in Ballygaranne, Clonmel. Continued providing cyber security awareness sessions to our Users and Members Established an Information Security Governance Committee; the group has met twice Continued with pilot of new firewalling solution for data centre Started rollout of a Change Management Platform Commenced the pilot of new low cost video conferencing solution in Planning Department Nenagh & Clonmel Proceeded with deployment of Government Cloud Network connectivity, site surveys and deployment plans developed. Agreed phase 2 of Agresso Milestone4 - the transfer of legacy South Tipperary data to M4 and successfully installed same Developed and rolled out an Approved Housing Bodies system for the Housing Section Continued with preparatory work to upgrade MS CRM to version 2013 Examined how to make the MS CRM system mobile friendly and accessible Updated the Councillors Expenses system. Updated the Property Management system. Continued to provide technical support and maintenance for the IT and Network systems such , File Services, Networks, Connectivity, Security, Servers, Operating systems, Database systems, etc. Continued to provide technical support and maintenance of our business systems e.g. I- Plan, I-Docs, I-House, CRM, etc. Continued to provide technical support, training and updates for all web-based systems, websites and databases Continued to provide technical support and maintenance of our geographical information systems e.g. Planning Enquiry, Online Digitisers, etc. Continued to provide technical support and maintenance for mobile and fixed lines phones. Continued to provide a technical support service to our staff and the elected members. Joe MacGrath Chief Executive Tipperary County Council July P age