The plenary session of the Santa Lucía de Tirajana City Council held this Thursday morning in the Town Hall approved the municipal budget for the year 2023 of almost 68 million euros. The accounts were supported with the votes of the councilors of the parties that make up the Government group, Nueva Canarias, Fortaleza and Partido Popular, except for the PP councilor, Marcos Rufo, who voted against. In the same session, an institutional declaration was also approved on the occasion of the International Day against Gender Violence, and a motion was passed in support of the Popular Legislative Initiative in favor of the regularization of migrants in the Spanish State and another motion in which It is requested that the application of a new tax to municipalities for depositing waste in landfills be delayed until 2026.
The Councilor for the Treasury, Roberto Ramírez, was in charge of defending the public accounts for the next year. The councilor highlighted that they are the highest budgets in history. Chapter 1 includes the salary increase for public employees. In chapter 2 "there is an increase compared to the previous year to maintain the quality of the services provided such as street cleaning, maintenance of roads, public parks, sports and cultural facilities." The councilor specified that in chapter 4 of transfers the amounts to various groups and social entities are maintained, a new item of 200.000 is added to social expenses. The spokespersons for the Neighborhood Association, the PSOE and Podemos justified their rejection of the municipal accounts because they consider that they are full of errors and that they do not prioritize the needs of the municipality's citizens.
Division of the PP vote
The surprise of the plenary session was carried out by the PP councilor, Marcos Rufo, when he pointed out that “I am going to vote against because these budgets have been made unilaterally, without counting on the Popular Party, and I also express my vote against because it has been also taken unilaterally by the government group, decisions such as the famous transfer for a few days (in reference to the Congress of National Qualified Persons held last week in Maspalomas) which, as you well know, due to these events we are now a laughingstock in Spain". The other PP councilor and president of the party in Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Sergio Vega, supported the budgets and criticized that “being in the government group and voting against is disloyal to the government and to the residents of Santa Lucía.” Vega pointed out that “using municipal budgets to engage in politics, to put partisan interests ahead or benefit other political formations is not acceptable and I don't even think it is ethical.” Sergio Vega concluded that “the PP that keeps its word, the PP that assumed the responsibility of providing stability to the municipality, the PP that goes to the City Council to work every day, that Popular Party is going to vote in favor of the budgets.”
The mayor, Francisco García, defended that the 2023 budgets mean “advance, social protection for citizens and investment in our municipality, and they are budgets that will improve people's lives.” The first mayor added that "unfortunately there are those who vote against even though they are budgets that make people's lives easier, it is a shame that there are those who do not support these budgets simply for an electoral matter, to scratch a few votes or worse." even those who vote against agreeing due to external impositions.”
In the same plenary session, an institutional declaration was also approved on the occasion of the International Day against Gender Violence, all parties agreed to “ratify the firm commitment of the Santa Lucía de Tirajana City Council against gender violence, and in defense of women's rights and the eradication of any type of sexist violence.” The motion also defends, among other things, “executing and complying with the measures that are part of the State Pact against Gender Violence.” The Mixed Group Podemos presented a motion in support of the Popular Legislative Initiative promoted by the social movement “Regularization Now” in favor of migrants; the motion was approved with the support of Nueva Canarias, La Fortaleza and Podemos.
In the questions and answers section, Podemos spokesperson, Domingo Bolaños, and PSOE spokesperson, Julio Ojeda, agreed to ask for explanations for the expenses of the First Congress of Local Administration and Officials with National Qualifications held from November 16 to 19. in Maspalomas. Podemos stated that “spending 500.000 euros on a congress with so much luxury, champagne and parties with private artists is reminiscent of Jesús Gil's Marbella.” Along the same lines, the PSOE criticized the fact that the Digital Terrestrial Television budget has been allocated for that congress, while the conditions in which they work in the public media are not improved. The mayor, Francisco García, responded that “the congress had some high-level speakers, members of the Court of Accounts, the Ministry of Finance and other institutions, DTT was used for its financing because it is the only body in which the town councils of San Bartolomé and Santa Lucía de Tirajana”. To the opposition's questions about the cost for the council, Francisco García pointed out that "the Santa Lucía City Council contributed 100.000 euros and the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council 400.000 euros." The first mayor made it clear that "I maintain my position that I do not agree with the rest of the events that took place in this congress, but I do consider that the objectives of the training of public personnel in the face of the new training challenges were seen as necessary." ”.
