HOUSEHOLDERS in Bray, Co Wicklow, could become the first to be charged a specific levy to fund the construction of major public projects - a swimming pool and arts centre.
The two projects would cost an estimated £2 million and it is being proposed that they should be paid for by the townspeople, instead of having to seek Government or National Lottery funding.
Cllr Tim Collins, a member of Bray UDC and special adviser to the Minister for the Environment, said this would give local authorities more discretion, but he believed it should be subject to a plebiscite.