ROVIGO – “I know that we are in the election campaign and every mayoral candidate has the right/duty to make promises, even if many of those read lack adequate financial coverage – begins the president Giuseppe Traniello Gradassi of Asm Rovigo Spa – and they are also convinced that the city of Rovigo is better than what people want to describe it for propaganda.”
Which is not acceptable for Traniello, who wants to clarify what was stated by the candidate Ezio Conchi (READ ARTICLE) is that the financial statements of Asm Spa are read “with malice”.
“We certainly can do better, but the numbers must be read correctly and the objective positivities cannot be interpreted in a negative way.
This is out of respect for the company, which is the city’s heritage, and out of respect for all those who work there” the president declares decisively.
“There is no doubt that Asm spa, with the approval of the 2022 industrial plan, is engaged in a huge effort, just as there is no doubt that it is maintaining what was asked of it in terms of objectives, albeit in the face of an inflationary situation for energy and cost of money that could not be predicted in 2021 and 2022.
It is already the second time that the candidate Conchi “fires” on the company, the first time he did it with misinterpreted data on municipal pharmacies, now it’s the turn of the car parks”.
“The biggest commitment was the reduction of the AB – explains Traniello – or the saving on the cost of industrial production, however covered by the revenues coming from the shareholdings which are the company’s assets.
In 2021 the deficit on services was -937,000 euros, in 2022 -811,000 and in 2023 we managed to reduce it to -632,000 euros, in perfect line with the industrial plan which provides for -450,000 in 2024, which will be approved in 2025.
Given the difficulties of the cost of money, the cost of energy and the inflationary situation, the modification of just one service contract, that of greenery which was obsolete, and above all the maintenance of the same employment level, is technically a great and noteworthy result.
As regards parking – underlines President Traniello – there are 1,080 parking areas, less than 1,000 operational due to the reduction due to stalls and agreements for spaces used as ecological islands.
The total yield is 1,060 euros per year per parking lot, i.e. per parking area or per single car parked for a fee, which is much more than a coffee a day.
However, Asm spa only collects the municipal premium, while the rest of the million euros (around 1,000 euros per year for 1,000 parking spaces) ends up in the municipal coffers.
Revenues from car parks for Asm spa do not derive from the direct payment of parking, but come from the management of the multi-storey car park, the car parks in Piazza XX Settembre and the municipal fee for parking on blue lines for a total revenue of 579,000 euros which determine a gross operating margin for the company of 158,000 euros, or, in percentage terms, an EBITDA of 27%.
You might want to ask the “prince of the forum”, former deputy mayor and therefore fully aware of the reading of the budgets of the municipal company, which of the private companies he knows, perhaps even professionally, can boast an EBITDA of 27% on a specific service” he states Traniello Gradassi addressing the candidate and lawyer Ezio Conchi.
“This clarification is necessary because I reiterate that Asm spa is the city’s heritage, and a source of pride for the city, which certainly must be further valorised, but which absolutely cannot, for mere electoral propaganda, be ridiculed.
Among the candidate’s many promises, we ask him for a commitment to obtain an even better revenue and EBITDA from parking: it must be recognized in the industrial plan voted by the city council in 2022 that the costs of parking inspector personnel will be returned to the company, currently held by Asm spa.
Currently, for Asm spa, employees represent ONLY an industrial cost without any possibility of having an economic return since their productivity (among other things, well above the costs), i.e. the fines for cars on blue lines with expired or absent coupons, is entirely for the benefit of municipal coffers.
Asm spa pays, the Municipality of Rovigo collects.
The invitation to resolve the issue is obviously extended to all mayoral candidates, for the good of SSm spa and therefore for all the citizens of Rovigo” concludes President Traniello piqued.
