The abolition of the dual mandate will enhance democracy in Ireland and make both tiers of government more relevant to people, local councillors have been told.
Dr Aodh Quinlivan, a lecturer at University College Cork, said he didn't believe the abolition represented a panacea for local government reform. He told the annual conference of the General Council of County Councils that the abolition of the dual mandate was only a step and genuine reform of local government and the Oireachtas was still needed.
"We need a greater fiscal autonomy for local government based on a local income tax, and a different kind of central-local relationship based on mutual trust and an understanding of each other's role. For too long there has been a master-servant relationship," he added.
Dr Quinlivan said the lack of an independent source of local financing, the limited functional base of local authorities and the continuing dead hand of centralism needed to be immediately addressed.
He said there will initially be confusion in local government circles and many wise heads and experienced voices in the local arena will be lost when the abolition is signed into law by the President, Mrs McAleese.
He called on councillors to become "doers" rather than "sayers", in local government.
Many councillors attending the conference expressed their frustration at the lack of independence from central government. "Are we not just fooling ourselves in thinking that any government, given past experience, is going to give more power to local government. It seems to me that politicians at national level, having weaned themselves on local government, they forget what it should be about," said Councillor Don Timpey of South Dublin County Council.