All municipalities are experiencing the cold wind of financial reality in the post construction boom world, with most facing the need to take drastic measures to keep the books balanced. Cuts are inevitable; the only issue is where those cuts will be made. Tax rises are an extremely unpopular method of raising revenue and with an eye on local elections next year it would be an unwise politician who chooses that route to attempt to make up deficits.
The mayor of Almoradí, Antonio Angel Hurtado, is clearly determined to put the town’s finances in order and listed a number of areas where cuts will be made totalling about 365,000 euros in the coming year. He was also critical of the government’s publicity regarding finance from the second plan E when it said 20% would be used to prop up holes in local municipalities’ income due to the recession. He said that the government’s actions had removed 500,000 euros from their income despite the help gained from Plan E. He went on to say that a reform of the way local Town Halls were financed was urgently required.
The areas he has targeted for cuts are the abolition of a security guard looking after the offices of the Social Services which will save 21,300 euros; a 50,000 euros saving brought about by salary reductions of 10% for council members; a reduction in the maintenance of all green areas and roundabouts, only maintaining them when absolutely necessary will save 65,118 euros; 142,338 euros will be liberated by reducing the street cleaning in the town by the afternoon shift and a saving of 22,000 euros by cutting one teacher from the Adult education payroll. There will also be savings from the removal of two subsidised bus routes which the mayor in an interview with a journalist from Información described as presently uneconomic and involved the Town Hall in spending 23 euros for every one euro sent by the passengers. This measure alone will save a further 64,400 euros. The mayor went on to say there would be more cuts in the pipeline. Furthermore the mayor said that the local conservatory would not be available to those municipalities who did not pay a fee towards its upkeep. He described the general financial situation as dramatic for most Town Halls. There was no choice but to implement cuts and no point in trying to increase services without the ability to fund them. In Almoradí’s case income from building permits has dropped 90%.