The Covid pandemic cost Longford County Council last year a total of €3.8milion.
The money was linked to extra supports to businesses and communities as well as lost income and additional costs.
According to the unaudited financial statement from 2021 presented to the Council members at its May meeting this week, a total of €63.5 million was spent by the local authority last year with a surplus of €109k returned.
It marks the eighth year in a row the Council has ended a financial year in the black.
The Council operated a rates waiver scheme last year worth a total of €3.09m for over 600 businesses in the county and in quarter one of this year, the rates waiver scheme was worth a total of €465k to 161 ratepayers.
The Council’s rates arrears are now also below the one million euro mark with collections up to 84% last year.
Rent arrears also declined slightly to just over €800,000 but are still almost twice what they were in December of 2018.
Just over €19m was spent on roads, €10m on housing and building and €11m on development management and the Council also recorded a payroll and pensions increase of almost €1.5m due to increases in salaries and wages and pension payments and gratuities.
Overall expenditure was down €3.9m last year with income down by over €5m in the same period.
