With a meeting that did not last many hours and the description of a modest plan for 2024 that possibly serves the municipal authority’s narrative of “tight” financial data, the budget of the Municipality of Patreon was voted yesterday, which is “accountably balanced” at approximately 286 million €.
Absence of the mayor Kostas Peletidis, who is in Turkey for contacts with Turkish Communist Party candidates for next week’s municipal elections, the meeting was marred by tensions and criticism from the opposition. Its general context financially “tight” budget had faded from the past weeks, when the Technical Program had been presented which does not include many new projectsbut also from the formulation of the new municipal fees which are increased, mainly for businesses.
At first, K. Svolis expressed his displeasure for those who were absent or participated by video conference in the processemphasizing that “the image we give to the outside is bad”, photographing K. Peletidis, who was in Turkey, and P. Psoma, who was in Chania.
The budget rapporteur, Deputy Mayor of Finance, Dionysis Plessas spoke of one explosive situation in the finances of the Municipality. Describing the reality that the municipal authority has to face, Mr. Plessas emphasized that “to the Municipality of Patreon they correspond to €91 million per year and they give us an average of only €24 million. We are not the only ones saying this. I have in front of me the report of the president of the KEDE Finance Committee”.
The deputy mayor of Finance Dionysis Plessas spoke of an explosive situation
He appreciates that the local self-government is “exterminated”. in combination with hiring bans and parallel the municipalities are driven “in the gears of the big business groups of capital for its profitability”. Mr. Plessas reminded that Patras has one of the lowest fees in all of Greecewhile he emphasized that the CAP funding “does not even cover the payroll of the staff which for 2023 reached 31.5 million euros and the CAPs we got were 25 million euros”. For 2024, only the increased staff payroll due to the increases is budgeted at €43,696,612.
He also pointed out that from in 2014 the municipal authority received loans of €21 million and now owes less than €7 millionbut also that “A municipality of the country, at the level of Patras, by decision of its municipal committee and municipal council proceeds with a loan of 27 million euros to balance its budget” something that does not happen in Patras.
Finally, clarify how balancing the budget is “accounting” and this so that the Municipality can function. Closing his political position, he called for participation in the strike of April 17 with requests for Accuracy, farmers, Education, Health, Tempi and all the major issues of current affairs that concern them. While he recalled the municipal demands for the abolition of reparative fees and the burial fee, the financing of all services from the state budget, the performance of all the financing provided for by “Kallicratis”, the recruitments, but also not to pass the privatization of water and of the TWO.
“PATRA UNITED”: “YOUR POLICY IS UTOPIAN AND UNENFORCEABLE”
The leader of the major opposition Kostas Svolis he severely criticized the municipal authority and ended with a “wish” for an increase in income from tourism and investments. He emphasized among other things:
Kostas Svolis
“It’s outopian and impractical policy. The rich and the poor of 2024 are much better off than they were 100 years ago. We see a budget that hides the truths. Why should we vote on your budget? Out of €50,000 for cultural associations, you did not give a single euro. You didn’t give a single euro to the needy. Municipal canteen for the needy, community clinics, community pharmacy and others are nowhere to be found. New stadiums, new schools, recycling?
There is nothing developmental in your design. It is true that regular income is less today, but you voted against it in 2009 and earlier, with 110 million regular income. Why should we say yes now? We’ll say white. We hope that next year’s income will be higher, either from tourism or from investments”.
“PATRA, SPUDAIA AND AGAIN”: “WE CAN DO €1 FROM THE CASHIER, €10”
Vassilis Aivalis
«We can prove in fact how €1 from our Municipality’s coffers becomes €10 in real work for the native citizen” said the leader of the faction “Patra, Great and Again” Vassilis Aivalis in his presentation at the meeting of the municipal council of Patras on the subject of the Municipality’s budget for 2024.
Mr. Aivalis declared himself present at the claims with regard to state funding, he pointed out, however, that there are other sources of funding which the Municipality has not taken advantage of to the extent it should in order for money to flow into its coffers, while he pointed out that the municipal authority is showing proverbial weakness at the level of of debt collections, with the result that the problem instead of decreasing every year swells.
Don’t ask for the municipal authority to be more careful and consistent in the schedules which the legislation defines and expects a response to the comments within the current year. However, the faction voted in favor of the budget, despite the critical attitude it showed.
SPIRAL: “ARE WE BROKEN AND COOKING?”
Petros Psomas
From Chania who was there for contacts with self-governing agents of the region, o Petros Psomas argued for a need for other political practices.
«We are characterized by a different perception of small and large issues of the city. We are not voting for the budget. We are not the Municipality with the lowest fees, it is false. We are unable to collect what is owed. We are not running out of financial tools and we are not even approaching some of them. We are not making use of the municipal property. We do not collect rent. Your claim is ineffective.
You do not cooperate with KEDE. Where is the mayor? In Turkey at the expense of the Municipality for a meeting with party purposes? You don’t want sponsorships. That’s why we don’t vote. We have another reasoning. You brought in a virtually balanced budget. Are we bankrupt and cooking them?
What does the budget for Sella, Argyra and Platani have to do with Palestine and the strike? Instead of hearing about the problems, we hear about guild requests. It is outrageous” said P. Psomas, among others.
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