Sligo county council has this evening agreed on it's budget for the coming year.
Most controversial is a decision to work towards having the same rates in the rural and old borough areas within the next eight years.
That is likely to lead to a reduction in the rates in the Sligo town area but an increase for ratepayers in the county area.
A number of rural councillors were strongly opposed to the idea
However Council Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes told councillors they were legally obliged to start the process of so-called rates harmonisation.
Otherwise the Minister could remove them from office and replace them by a commissioner.
Rates harmonisation has come about as a result of the abolition of Sligo Borough Council, with the county council now the sole local authority.
