The plenary session of the Calpe Town Council has approved a credit modification of 579,996.12 euros from the remaining cash flow, which will allow different expenses and investments to be made.
As explained by the mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, 150,000 euros of this amount will be used to organise a Christmas Fair ‘different, more extensive, with greater emphasis and scope’. Also, 85,382.86 euros will be invested in the installation of LED lighting for the historic centre of the town, 50,000 euros in the purchase of security cameras, 25,000 euros in the leasing of four motorbikes for the Local Police, 15,000 euros for the organization of a new Meeting of Innovative Communication and 40,000 euros for the purchase of furniture for the Social Centre of Social Services. In addition, 30,000 euros have been earmarked for the possible organisation of a new event in the last quarter of the year to celebrate the centenary of the Fishermen's Guild and another 40,000 euros for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Calpe music band.
In addition to all this, 144,613.26 euros will be used to pay outstanding invoices for the ambulance service for the year 2023.
The topic has been approved with the votes of the government team (Somos Calpe, Psoe and Compromís) and the abstention of Defendamos Calpe and the popular municipal group.
The spokesman for Defendamos Calpe, Paco Quiles, pointed out that the government team does not have ‘an order of priorities, which establishes what is most necessary in the municipality’ and reproached them for spending money on ‘more fiestas when there are shortages’ and suggested the construction of a sports pavilion or the purchase of instruments for music schools, among other issues.
For his part, the spokesman for the popular group, Miguel Crespo, indicated that with this new credit modification Calpe will consume more than 17 million euros of surplus, according to a report by the Intervention and that presumably the spending rule will not be met in 2024. He accused the government team of lack of foresight and of using a ‘populist’ criterion when it comes to managing spending and the surplus. ‘It is necessary to have a political government project, which sets a direction and it seems that we often improvise too much,’ he said.
Guillermo Sendra, spokesman for the socialist municipal group, explained the need for the investments proposed by his delegations, such as the four new motorbikes for the Local Police, whose staff has increased by 16 new officers this year, and the installation of LED lights in the historic centre. ‘We are one of the few towns that still do not have low-energy lighting in the historic centre; it is imperative that we have lighting for the 21st century,’ he said.
The spokesman for the government team and Compromís, Ximo Perles, pointed out that ‘as soon as a budget is approved, no matter how well you do it, it generates a surplus’, such as the fact that a member of the municipal staff is on sick leave - as 75 percent of their salary is paid by the Social Security. He also described it as ‘demagogy’ to compare investments in fiestas with the purchase of musical instruments, as Calpe does not have a public music school, and agreed on the need for a pavilion. "But if they are not in this surplus or in the general budget, it is because these investments require a project and as this project has not been drawn up, we do not want to make investments that are not going to be able to be executed.
On the other hand, Somos Calpeespokesman Juan Manuel del Pino pointed out that they have tried to cover the needs that had to be met ‘with an honest and sensible criterion’.
Mayor Ana Sala defended the work of the government team in economic management. ‘We are a very responsible government in terms of the accounts; in the last five years this council has approved the budget in time and form’ and added that ‘if there is surplus available, what better way to invest that money than to give it back to the citizens’ through these projects.
MODIFICATION OF CEMETERY ORDINANCE
On the other hand, the plenary session unanimously agreed to the initial approval of the modification of the Ordinance for the regime and governance in the provision of services in the municipal cemetery. The aim is to provide a solution to a problem detected, which is to allow family members of Calpeinos up to the sixth degree of consanguinity who are not registered in the municipality to be buried in the cemetery. This modification will be applied to niches that already belong to the family and not to those newly occupied. Likewise, registration will not be required for the deposit of ashes in columbaria or in the family niche.
‘Today is a day when by changing one paragraph we improve people's lives, we try to mitigate the pain that this measure could cause’, emphasised the councillor for the Park of Eternal Rest Marco Bittner;
This is an amendment that has been in the works for a year and will also reflect the updating of the timetables that were already in place.
TRADE VOUCHERS
The plenary approved the modification of the bases of the Bono Comercio 2024 campaign to move the phase of the campaign planned for the first half of the year to the second half of the year. This has had to be delayed due to the new legal requirement to put out to tender the designation of the economic association in charge of managing the vouchers.
In this way, the two phases of the campaign will be grouped into one with a total amount of 500,000 euros, although the rules foresee that in the event that this amount is not used up, a second call can be made in which the people who acquired a voucher in the first call can also be beneficiaries of a new voucher.
The bases of the Bono –Consumo 2024 campaign, financed entirely by the Diputación de Alicante and which will allocate 290,845.00 euros to Calpe, have also been approved. This campaign will take place after the celebration of the Bono Comercio campaign in order to continue with the objective of reactivating consumption in local commerce.