The Calp City Council approved this morning with the only votes in favor of the government team (Somos Calpe, PSOE and Compromís) the Calp municipal budgets for 2024. This agreement has been adopted after having rejected the allegations and ten amendments presented by the municipal group of the PP to these municipal accounts.
The PP spokesperson, César Sánchez, has described the budgets as "continuous and without ambition" and has pointed out that the two major planned investments, the institute and road J, are from other institutions - the Generalitat and the Alicante Provincial Council, respectively – "which reveals the lack of ambition of this government that lives off the inheritance and inertia of the PP budgets of recent years." And he has insisted that they have presented these amendments to "help and improve these budgets", amendments that, he has assured, "respond to the real needs of our people."
The amendments, with an amount of 300.000 euros, proposed the drafting of the basic project and execution of a new municipal swimming pool, expanding the Employment Plan item, launching a special direct bus line to the hospital Dénia, the taxi voucher for the movement of vulnerable groups to essential services within the municipality, expansion of the bike lane, the drafting of a basic project and execution of an athletics track, increase in the subsidy from the Greater Board of Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of Holy Week in Calp, the launch of a summer camp for people with special abilities, aid to the Fishermen's Guild to cover diesel and a promotion plan for Peix de Calp and white shrimp, as well as the implementation of a Digitalization Plan for SMEs and the Self-Employed.
On the other hand, the popular spokesperson has criticized the urgency with which the plenary session has been convened in which the Defendamos Calpe councilors have not been present.
The Compromís councilor, Mireia Ripoll, has reproached Sánchez, like other colleagues from the government team, that the plenary session was held as a result of the PP's presentation of said allegations. Otherwise, the municipal accounts would have become definitively approved. And she has pointed out that these amendments "totally reform this budget that has been agreed upon and studied a lot" and she has not hesitated to describe them as a "letter to the Three Wise Men." However, she has indicated that they will study them and has not ruled out that some of them could be carried out through the remaining treasury if the governing board so decides.
For his part, the spokesperson for the socialist municipal group, Guillermo Sendra, has stated that the amendments "are not very serious" and that the only objective of presenting them, as he has pointed out, is for the Popular Party spokesperson "to have his five minutes of glory." » before the media and social networks.
The spokesperson for Somos Calpe, Juan Manuel del Pino, has highlighted that the government team is open to listening to the opposition's contributions and has reproached Sánchez for saying: "all of his proposals could have been discussed before, they could have been negotiated, but it cannot be done when a few days before completion "The deadline for allegations is that you present these proposals."
the mayor Ana Sala has insisted that the holding of the plenary session "was caused by the PP" and that it had to be held urgently so that the municipal budgets were definitively approved before the end of the year as established by law, taking into account that the The deadline for submitting allegations ended on December 26. And he has described the budget for 2024 as "solvent, responsible and transparent and that largely resolves the problems that Calp has at the moment."
2024 budgets
The municipal accounts for next year amount to €46.962.815, which represents an increase of 1 compared to 13.
These budgets maintain the Tax Reduction Plan with the suspension of the municipal tax derived from the environmental license, the 5% reduction in the IBI approved in 04, the bonuses on the capital gains of inheritances are extended to all types of property and in all degrees of consanguinity, the IBI is reduced for the installation of solar panels and the rate for private use of public roads is suspended between November 2019 and the end of February.
The amount allocated to the maintenance of educational centers is increased by €50.000, from €48.000 to €98.000. The Calp Viu i Digne program is incorporated for the first time with an allocation of €55.000 for emergency food needs and the allocation to revitalize the Old Town rises from €30.000 to €100.000. Another of the most notable developments is the allocation of a sum of €270.000 for an accessibility program for the streets of the municipality with the accessible Calp program and the installation of security cameras with Artificial Intelligence for which €100.000 is allocated.
Regarding the most important investments, the budget contemplates the comprehensive reform of the Parc dels Garrofers for which there is a subsidy from the Provincial Council within the +Cerca Plan, an investment of €1.617.600 in section 6 of Vial J, €145.000 for the maintenance and improvement of the bike lane and €100.000 for the expansion of the Cemetery.
Other investments contemplated are €30.000 for a police office on La Fossa beach, €54.000 for the replenishment of funds for the desalination plant and €269.000 for the stormwater drainage project at the entrance to the cemetery. And the most notable investment in the budget is undoubtedly the €5.400.000 allocated to the construction of the second IES within the Pla Edificant. And €125.000 is allocated for the events celebrating the centenary of the Fishermen's Guild.
In the subsidy chapter, highlights include €150.000 for rental aid, €40.000 for IBI payment aid for the elderly, unemployed and pensioners, €235.000 for subsidies for sports entities, and €70.000 for aid for the rehabilitation of facades and €146.000 for aid for university transport. To this we must add the nominative subsidies with different associations and municipal entities to which a total of €430.000 is allocated.
Another of the main lines that these accounts provide for is the improvement and maintenance of municipal services. And in this sense, the maintenance of the rescue, lifeguard and help with supervised bathing service is included, which will extend the summer season, hours and personnel with an amount of €704.375 and which this year increases by 20% more. An item of €345.269 is included for the garden pruning service, palm tree pruning and machinery for the improvement of public roads and green areas.
The budget also includes the new waste collection and transportation and street cleaning service with an amount of €44.811.285 for 9 years. The budget includes the new project drafting and construction management service with €250.000 and €100.000 to undertake the drafting of projects such as the rehabilitation of the Local Police checkpoint, the dining room and toilets of the municipal warehouse, the new headquarters of civil protection and the Fester Museum among others.
