The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Dermot Lacey has voted against his Labour Party colleagues and saved Dublin City Council form abolition by using his casting vote it set new charges for refuse collection in the city.
The Minister for the Environment and Local Government Mr Martin Cullen had threatened to abolish the council at midnight if it failed to finalise its budget this evening.
But with the vote tied at 23 - 23, the Lord Mayor used his casting vote to support the reintroduction refuse collection charges allowing the city council to complete its budget plans.
The recommendation to use 'bin charges' as a means of generating income came from the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, who described the vote as "a crucially important matter which has serious implications for cashflow, services and employment".
But many Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Féin and independents have been firmly against the charge while Fianna Fáil and the Greens supported the proposal, which was this evening passed by Mr Lacey's casting vote.
Sinn Féin coucillor Mr Daithí Doolan reacted angrily to the Lord Mayor's vote and vowed to continue the fight against the re-imposition of the charge.
"Dermot Lacey has in the past publicly outlined his opposition to the bin charges. Here tonight he held the casting vote yet he decided to do a political u-turn and support the reintroduction of this unfair tax.