The Arrecife City Council Plenary approved this Monday the budgets for this year 2022 and rejected three total amendments presented by the opposition, questioning that they registered them "outside the legally established period." In fact, the government group has not even included in the agenda those amendments from the PSOE, Lanzarote en Pie and the councilor Carlos Alférez, from the Group of Non-Attached.
The approved budget amounts to 56 million euros and represents "an increase of 15.50% of the items allocated to social aid and job creation", according to the capital city government.
The mayor of Arrecife, Astrid Pérez, pointed out after finishing the meeting prior to the plenary session “the lack of collaboration from the opposition groups to carry out the annual accounts and has shown her perplexity at the ignorance of these groups, especially the PSOE, which has had many years of responsibility in the local administration, regarding the operating regime of the municipal plenaries.”
In addition, she explains that the Secretary of the Arrecife City Council presented a report on the untimeliness of the presentation of these amendments to the entirety of the municipal budget, given that the Plenary Regulations are not complied with, which establishes that they must be registered 24 business hours, which corroborates, according to the mayor, “the lack of diligence of the opposition in their tasks of overseeing the Government's action.”
"Alleviate the consequences derived from the pandemic"
From the government group they defend that the budget aims to "alleviate the consequences derived from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic", with an "important increase in terms of social aid and promotion of employment." In addition, actions to reactivate the Commerce, Tourism, SMEs and Public Transport sectors are increased by 6.43% in relation to the 2021 accounts.
"Today we approved the most social budget in the history of the municipality, with 5.5 million euros for social aid and job creation, which is a barbarity of money never before allocated to alleviate the consequences derived from Covid-19”, said the mayor.
However, this year's budget has had to be adjusted to the decrease in income, which has been 29.68% compared to 2021, due to the fact that capital transfers are reduced by 26.53% and financial liabilities by 100%. In this regard, it should be remembered that the financial credit of 27 million was included in last year's accounts to settle the controversial debt for the expropriation of the Ginory land.
"The Government Group maintains its commitment not only not to raise municipal taxes, but also in today's plenary session a bonus of 95 percent of the capital gains tax has been approved, also improving the collection rates that reflect an increase of 11.12% of direct income, and 6.41 percent of indirect income, constructions, facilities and works, IGTE and IGIC, and achieving a decrease of 30.86% of the public debt of the City Council compared to 2021", they point out from the Consistory.
In the section on fees and other income, this year's accounts increase by 8.41%, and current transfers also experience a growth of 9.83%.
Investments in Public Services and infrastructure
For investments, the 2022 budget of Arrecife contemplates a total of 3,918,130.95 euros, with an item for Public Services for an amount of 1,736,715.28 euros for the beautification and adaptation of the beaches, the improvement in parks, gardens and children's areas, the new police station of the Local Police, the remodeling of Canalejas street, the renovation of the public lighting of Charco de San Ginés and other neighborhoods, the conditioning and expansion works of the San Román Cemetery and the Rainwater and Sanitation Network.
The improvement of educational centers is also reflected in these 2022 accounts, with 1,860,000 euros for maintenance works, as well as for the conditioning of the interior of the Youth House, the works in the Socio-cultural Centers, the adaptation of the Animal Protection Center, the improvement of sports facilities and the works in the Municipal Sports Park.
New Technologies and the General Administration will have an investment of 206,415.67 euros destined to actions of a general nature, as well as another item of 115,000 euros for the areas of Commerce, Tourism and Public Transport, with the adaptation of bus shelters and the Improvement Plan of the Municipal Transport Service, among other investments.