The Municipal Group of Coalición Canaria in Arucas criticises that the council rejected its motion to repeal the Montoro decree and self-manage the surplus, which amounts to 30 million euros.
The spokesperson for Coalición Canaria in Arucas, Antonio Medina Quesada, has attacked the local government team, formed by PSOE and PP, for preventing the debate on the use of the municipal surplus. According to CC, the City Council has accumulated more than 30 million euros in savings that, unless a contrary decision is made, will end up in the hands of the Ministry of Finance.
A motion rejected by the council
The motion presented by CC urged the competent authorities to repeal the well-known Montoro decree and allow the self-management of the surplus. However, the governing group argued that the suspension of the spending rule is not a municipal competence, so its debate in the council was not appropriate. For Medina, this argument is “extravagant and ridiculous,” as he believes that the destination of the savings of the people of Arucas is a matter of municipal interest.
“If it is not of municipal interest that more than 30 million euros of the savers of Arucas are handed over to the Ministry of Finance, they will have to explain it to the citizens,” said Medina.
A debate that does take place in other municipalities
CC reminds that this issue has been the subject of debate in numerous councils, both in the Canary Islands and on the mainland, with resolutions for and against in a climate of democratic exercise. In Arucas, however, the mayor Juan Jesús Facundo had already shown agreement with the agreement between the FEMP and the Treasury, according to CC, without seeking consensus with the other parties. “The mayor has not acted democratically,” denounced Medina.
The spokesperson for CC warns that these limitations on debate are a “first warning of an authoritarian drift” by the local government. The nationalist formation demands that discussion be allowed in the council and that the residents know the destination of their savings.
What does the Montoro decree imply for municipalities?
The Montoro decree, approved in 2012, limits the ability of municipalities to spend their surplus and requires that the remaining funds be used to pay off debt or for financially sustainable investments. The FEMP reached an agreement with the Treasury to relax these conditions, but CC believes that Arucas should demand total self-management of its savings.
In practice, if the City Council of Arucas does not decide on another use, the 30 million euros will be allocated to pay off public debt or to investments determined by the Ministry, which for CC represents a loss of local autonomy. Medina urges the mayor to put to a vote a proposal that allows the people of Arucas to decide about their money.
Coalición Canaria has announced that it will continue to insist on this issue and that it will bring the debate to public opinion if the council continues to block the initiative. Meanwhile, the residents of Arucas are waiting for their representatives to clarify the destination of those 30 million.
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