Galway County Council, Minute Books, 1899 -

Volumes of minutes of proceedings of Galway County Council, recording attendance, correspondence and business transacted.    
From November 1922 (2^nd 1/4 of volume 3) onwards the minutes, and generally the agenda, are printed and pasted into the volume. The minutes are, from this point, numbered, and primarily consist of short direct resolutions and / or orders.  Also includes several annotations throughout Vol. 4; such as ‘copy to relatives’ ‘work to Co. Surveyor’, and ‘Done'.

Matters discussed include the full range of areas of responsibilities of the Council dealing with the collection of rates and the main programme groups relating to the building and maintenance of roads and bridges, water and sewerage schemes, environment, housing, from c. 1963 planning issues, personnel and general purpose or corporate services, and prior to the establishment of the Health Board in the early 1970s health and related issues.  

The minutes reflect the evolution of the Council and growth in its responsibilities, the introduction of County Managers, relations with associated bodies and authorities, and degrees of centralised control exerted on it from central government, such as with the abolition of domestic rates, local authorities became funded from central government, and thus had less direct power .

Minutes also relate:

- To Rural District Councils prior to their abolition in 1925. Prior to this the County Council mainly approved Co. Surveyor’s recommendations relating to roads etc ; County Council dealt for the most part with the collection of rates, administration of Court Houses (during the 1920's the cost of repairs to them following occupation by military),  staffing issues such as appointments, and superannuation, and liaising with Rural District Councils.

- To the amalgamation of Poor Law Union under Board of Health and Public Assistance through to the eventual establishment of Health Boards in the 1970's;  - subsequent uses for workhouse premises and lands .
Selection of various committees e.g. Finance, Buildings, Agriculture, Lunatic Asylum

- To the addition of new functions in particular relating

  * to planning from the mid 1960's onwards,
  * from the 1970's as a result of funding from the EEC (European Economic Community, now European Community) the drive to improve and build better roads, water and sewerage schemes, and introduce and implement new procedures to adhere to EC laws and directives in particular relating to environmental issues (such as waste management) and the necessity to comply with new laws, Environmental Impact Studies and so on ;

    * from the 1980's to the development of an Arts programme,
    * from the 1990's relating to Heritage and its protection

    * from end of 1990's to early the 2000's a drive to introduce Better Local Government - Special Programme Committees - increase involvement and control of elected Councillors and stream-line management.

Also includes minutes relating to the Council's

- Liaisons with IDA ; Health Boards ; Dept of Environment ;  Environment Protection Agency (EPA) ; Arts Council ;  Heritage Council

- Incentives to international companies to establish business in the area, provide employment etc