Francisco Soler, Councillor for Finance, reported on Tuesday, July 21st, on the budget modifications that will be presented to the plenary session and previously to the Finance Committee: 20 and 21, of 70,000 euros to recover the agreement with the Acequia Mayor del Pantano, and 1.2 million euros to be transferred between planned projects. This is a problem that the PSOE highlighted on Monday, once again describing management as “chaos,” claiming that many were “last-minute” alterations. Although Soler downplays the significance of this development, claiming that it is a question of everyday budget management. Furthermore, he denies that there are any issues with implementing the adjustment plan, which the opposing party has also questioned.
Movements between loan-financed items
The Socialists criticised the cancellation of €200,000 in tree projects, €120,000 in cemeteries, €250,000 in the Bimil·lenari project (which is still being awarded), €100,000 in Eucharistic Congress renovation, and €40,000 in educational improvements, among others. In total, €1.2 million that was planned to be financed through loans is now being cancelled to be allocated to other projects: €830,000 worth of public space projects (which coincide with the Porta de la Morera project currently being tendered), €200,000 worth of children’s play areas, €200,000 worth of other cultural activities (in the PSOE, Patricia Maciá denounced that the department already had negative budgets), and €35,000 worth of activities for the Department.
Soler maintains that “it is simply an adjustment between items for efficient management” and that this will not change the price of the requested loan (15 million, though it does change what it will be used for), because the only thing that has changed is—yes, once again—the items for the projects to be financed. As a result, spending would remain constant. The credits for the new projects are boosted “because they are projects that will be carried out immediately.” The removed amounts reflect expenses that will not be completed this year or project delays, including Plaza Congreso EucasrÃstico, Bimil·lenari, and Curtidores renovations. A total of 1.2 million euros is transferred between items to cover investment and current expenditure.
He denies having issues with the Acequia Mayor, with whom a new deal has been struck
Similarly, the other €70,000 alteration to the Acequia Mayor del Pantano (Main Drainage Canal) is being added by eliminating a budget item for the parks and gardens maintenance contract that was previously funded. When asked by the media about re-approving this addition to the agreement, which had been withdrawn after the Community of Owners threatened to sue the City Council since the majority of its water is used to irrigate palm palms, Soler stated that “nothing has been reversed.” The councillor emphasises that this is just another community of owners, i.e., individuals, “and we are the Elche City Council,” stressing that their goal is the general and public interest. How many agreements have there been with the Acequia prior to four years ago?”
Although the City Council uses the land, the councillor says that the City Council always assists when upkeep is required, and that the connection with the community of owners who manage this property should be governed. He also mentions that the palm palms had been irrigated for 2,000 years. “The agreement has been regulated, and as soon as the details were finalised, the funding was allocated due to an agreement between both parties.” He claims that there was no problem.
There would be no problems with the adjusting plan, regardless of the schedule
On the other hand, regarding the Financial Economic Plan (PEF), which the PSOE claimed was not meeting deadlines, such as the Human Resources Rationalisation Plan that had to be sent to the regional government on 17 July, the councillor asserts that “we still have no news from the regional government (which has to give its approval), although from all the conversations we have had with them, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Soler contends that the adjustment plan “will be carried out in the same way that municipal technicians do in their daily budget management.” ” And, while this optimisation strategy “is vital because Chapter 1 (Personnel) of the City Council is very vast,” it is not merely economic in nature. Although the dates no longer match those in the plan, he notes that it “is being managed with all the departments, and I don’t see any breaches.” In response to the opposition’s criticism, he suggested that they “look up,” alluding to the administration and the “lack of funds for projects like San Antón.”
General Account for 2024
Finally, the councillor discussed statistics from the City Council’s 2024 general accounts, which comprise both the budget and financial parts of the financial statements and provide an accurate picture of the economic condition. The accounting figures show that the City Council’s net worth “amounts to €500 million.” The net worth declaration shows that “the City Council incurred a profit of just over €18 million in 2024.”
According to the disclosure of changes in equity, “as of December 31st, the closing equity stood at almost €400 million.” The cash flow statement at the end of the year “reports cash holdings of almost €40 million in the City Council’s accounts.” In terms of the budget settlement, “it reflects the budget result of a positive general expenses cash surplus of over €31 million and an adjusted budget result of €29 million.”
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