09 May 2024, 06:30
3 min read
PALERMO – The doubling of attendance fees in the constituencies could not be done, or at least not immediately, and therefore now the Municipality of Palermo has to have thousands of euros returned by presidents and councilors. These are hours of excitement for the district parliamentarians of the fifth largest city in Italy, who literally jumped on their chairs after reading a note from the General Accounting Office and decided to do battle.
Double for everyone
The issue is certainly not new. Last year Palermo, like many other municipalities on the island, decided to implement a law that allowed the doubling of allowances and attendance fees for the mayor, councilors and city councilors.
A very bumpy path in reality, given that Sicily not only implemented a national law late but also did it badlyending up having to intervene both in the related bis of 2023 and in that linked to this year’s Budget.
The regional circular
The problem arose precisely in the neighborhoods, where allowances and tokens have always been linked to those of councilors and city councilors. The law that provided for the increase, however, did not (at least initially) explicitly mention the constituencies, giving rise to different interpretations.
Palermo immediately adopted the increase, despite the doubts of the accounting offices, and Messina did not, with the result that the local authorities department issued a circular in October agreeing with the Peloritano municipality. However, Palazzo delle Aquile continued straight ahead, granting the increase: 1,700 euros more gross to the presidents (which thus reaches 3,588, i.e. 40% of a councillor) and a fee for councilors increased from 48.8 to 97.6 euros, for a maximum of 1,794 euros gross per month.
The new stop
Everything smooth, then? No, because at the end of last week the General Accounting Office of the municipality of Palermo gave a new stop. The Region has made seven million euros available to help local authorities pay the increases and, to draw on the allocation, Palazzo delle Aquile must participate in a specific notice.
The offices directed by the accountant Bohuslav Basile, however, took the opportunity (based precisely on the notice) to reiterate that the 2023 council and council resolutions, which had also extended the increases to the neighborhoods, present “aspects of illegitimacy” in the parts that concern the increase for the constituencies.
Since the explicit reference to the constituencies was only included in the link last February, the 2023 resolutions could not be approved “due to the absence of a primary law authorizing the increases; absence filled by the regional legislator with the promulgation of law 3 of 2024”.
The Municipality raises cash
The result is that not only will the Municipality not submit an application to participate in the distribution but, and here is the sore point, will block the payments of increased allowances and tokens and will ask the interested parties (80 people in total) to repay the additional amount received so far. This amounts to around a thousand euros per month for each president, from September to today, and around 600 euros per councillor.
News that has sent the local parliamentarians into fibrillation, now on a war footing. Budget Councilor Brigida Alaimo announced the calling of a meeting with the offices, but the councilors are preparing for battle in the meantime and are ready to ask for the intervention of the city council.
Councilors cut off
The Municipality could be forced to approve a new council resolution to grant the increase to the district presidents, which however would not have retroactive effect and would not exclude the recovery of sums already received.
It could be worse for the councilors: the regional law provides for the increase but under the conditions of a decree of the Ministry of the Interior of 2000 which mentions only the members of the councils of the constituencies “to whom decentralized administrative functions are assigned”, a case in which Palermo returns. The result is, according to the offices, that “it will no longer be possible to take measures that deviate from the amount of 48.8 euros per single session”. In short, goodbye increase.
Published on
09 May 2024, 06:30
