The City Council of Reggio Calabria has given the green light to the budget forecast, «a document – said the mayor Giuseppe Falcomatà – which is the result of years of planning and arises from the choice not to ask for bankruptcy.”
«A budget – he added – that starts from the 2014 choice not to ask for bankruptcy, by a new political class, a decisive choice that had more questions than answers. A trust that we felt in those years on the part of the national government, with discussions together with the state accountants to bring attention to essential measures for the survival of the organisation”.
«It all started from there, over the years – continued the mayor – the actions were partly held back by the rulings of the Constitutional Court on national legislation, until it was understood that the municipalities needed to be given not only the time, but also the resources» .
«I thank all the majorities that have followed one another in recent years, the councilors, the managers, the president Cuzzocrea who earned confirmation in the Budget Commission in the field. Someone defined it as a courageous choice – the mayor specified – to be made with the heart, the only possible strength, an internal strength of mind. Then it’s easy to have courage when you’re on the other side, at a safe distance from those choices that imply having courage.”
The mayor then receives the first data relating to the notice for the concessions on the Tari presented yesterday by the Administration at Palazzo San Giorgio: «Already this morning, in two hours from the opening of the applications, 77 have arrived. Evidently the signal that this communication is reached the citizens is positive. The problems cannot be solved, it is a caress that gives relief, it does not change the economy of the month, but it makes us understand the closeness of the Administration, which is not deaf to the citizens’ requests”.
«The desire is to improve with the Dup – he continued – we help the families who more than others have had to endure the rebalancing plan. This year the Administration invests around 45 million euros per year on welfare. On the TARI, however, it must be added that the Calabria Region increased the cost of landfill disposal by 3 million euros only for the Municipality of Reggio, in total silence and after the metropolitan city returned the delegations for the disposal to it. Why have costs increased for 2024?”.
«It has not yet been highlighted enough – he said again – that around 30 million euros of old mortgages have been allocated to the redevelopment of road arteries. This is a concrete response which clearly states that we do not only provide the sums to cover the potholes, but that these funds are invested to completely redo the roads. And then, the increase in Castore of six million euros for maintenance activities. In October 2012 the company started with almost two million euros of debt, in recent years there has been a progressive increase in resources”.
«I would like to remind you regarding Castore – he added – that, in the next few weeks, the water service, both in terms of maintenance, concession and billing, will pass to the Region with Sorical. Castore had one million and 300 thousand euros, if the objective is to maintain these funds on other interventions we will still be able to reach break even”.
The mayor specified that «the planned investments are not a carryover of those envisaged in the previous budget, the investments already made are approximately 64 million euros or 367% more than in 2022, in which the fixed cash investments were approximately 16. This is the best answer because it means that money has been pumped into the city’s economy. We need to do more on forgiveness, but there are improvements for updated collection data. Perhaps there is starting to be a habit among citizens of being up to date with taxes and it is a very positive sign. In 2014 the average payment times were 216 days, now we are at 37. It is clear that planning brings results over time. From this point of view, the Administration must look from when it exists until the next few years.”
Addressing the opposition councilors, the mayor specified: «If I were you I would be worried about the shortcomings that exist for the bridge over the Strait, which will delay the start of the works. The Ministry of the Environment has pointed out that this is a project lacking prerequisites and constraints that must be in place before starting the construction site.”
Falcomatà then anticipated some of the next events scheduled for the municipal administration: the presentation of Atam’s electric buses during Earth Day the electric buses will be presented, we have recently presented the Housing Agency, we will present the Agency for Giovani, and then we remember the synergy implemented for the works on the municipal lido, and finally the restyling activities on the seafront which will concern not only the roadway and the sidewalks of the upper part, but also the care of the arboreal heritage”.
A final step he highlighted concerned the FUS tenders which «allow administrations to plan one or more events outside the perimeter of the historic center. From the ministry – explained the mayor – an official asked us not to use those funds for events in Piazza del Popolo because it would be too close to the historic centre. Instead, it is a popular and populous neighbourhood, where the market is held, where there are many commercial activities, an area with various public residential buildings from which, however, the citizens ask to increase cultural activities: we will respond for the rhyme to this act of war perpetrated against the city”.
In conclusion of his speech, the mayor then quoted a phrase from the mayor of Florence, Giorgio La Pira «who claimed that “There is a spring preparing in this apparent winter”. We still can’t see many things, but the work and planning of these 10 years is bearing fruit.” (rrc)
Tags: REGGIO City Council approves budget forecast
