The deputy of the Socialist Parliamentary Group, Alfonso Martínez Baños, has appealed this morning "as a deputy, but also as a totanero", to the solidarity of the regional and central administrations with the City of Totana, to ensure the financial sustainability of its consistory.
That is the objective of the amendments defended by the socialist deputy in the Plenum of the Regional Assembly, as well as to give visibility to a problem that have dragged the Municipalities since the Transition, as it is the one of the municipal financing.
In his presentation to the Plenary, Martinez Baños said that "the municipalities are the institution closest to citizens and therefore the most vulnerable to the ups and downs of the economy, since they lack a funding system that provides them with security and stability".
This has forced them for a long time to turn to the construction sector to balance their budgets.
The economic crisis, along with "the model of harmful and failed development of the reckless and irresponsible governments of the PP have had very negative consequences that for many years will suffer the inhabitants of Totana."
The Socialist deputy recalled that a few months ago, the first deputy mayor and the finance council met with parliamentary groups of the Assembly to report the dire economic situation they had encountered.
Also last week, Martinez Baños, met with the spokesman, Rafael Gonzalez Tovar and the deputy spokesman, Joaquín López, with the mayor of Totana, who gave them the economic audit they have done and asked them for help in the situation they face. Crosses the City Hall.
On the part of the socialist deputies all the support was transferred to them.
The debt of the City of Totana amounts to almost 180 million euros;
A debt per capita of 3,931 euros, which according to the data of the Ministry of Finance places the town hall as the second most indebted of Spain, in the section of municipalities of between 10,000 and 40,000 inhabitants;
And the fourth, if not counted those of less than 1,000 inhabitants.
Alfonso Martínez Baños recalled that in 2006, the City of Totana recognized income forecasts for an amount of more than 96 million euros, of which almost 63 million came from urban agreements, "which never arrived nor will arrive, on the contrary, the Courts are obliging to repay with interest the little that was arrived at ".
In 2015, the net collection of the City Council was of 20.5 million euros, amount with which it has to face the payment of 30.9 million, of which 9.6 are to pay the loans.
"The municipal government is making a huge management effort to continue to provide basic services, but the situation in the current conditions of precariousness is unsustainable, since the income only gives to pay the staff, part of the loans and emergencies."
The Socialist deputy added that "with this scenario, the municipal Treasury has entered a loop that makes each day grow the debt automatically and exponentially, generating new interest arrears."
Alfonso Martinez Baños said that this is not a situation that is resolved by raising taxes or cutting back on spending.
"The dimension of the matter is of such magnitude that it requires to make use of the principle of solidarity between administrations gathered in the Constitution".
In his view, not addressing the problem immediately is an error that will make the solution difficult and increase the cost to the taxpayer.
"I know that the City wants to pay and is willing to continue making sacrifices, but they need help to cut this bleeding that are generating the defaults and gain time to deal with the debt."
For this reason, he asked the regional government to cooperate to reflect it in the budgets for the coming year, and also to the Government of Spain, to refinance the City's debt in the long term and on advantageous terms.
