Economy
Of Dario Fidora – 14 June 2024
The list of Municipalities in good standing and not. The commissioners will have to carry out all the activities required by law by proceeding with the approval of the budgets, replacing the non-compliant bodies.
Today Anci appreciation towards the regional Parliament for the contribution of 50 million to the Municipalities with corrective action and extra waste costs. President Amenta: “Positive signal but structural measures are urgently needed”.
Commissionerships begin for 147 Sicilian municipalities that have not yet approved the 2024/2026 budget forecast. The councilor for local authorities, Andrea Messinasigned the provisions appointing the ad acta commissioners who will have to ensure the adoption of the essential economic planning tool to authorize the expenditure of local authorities.
This is a necessary and obligatory replacement intervention by the Region since the approval of the budget by the City Council allows the Municipalities to plan the activities and services to offer their citizens over the three-year period.
«The appointment of the commissioners ad acta is the extreme act to which we had to resort after having attempted, in all possible ways, to stimulate the Municipalities to adopt the budget estimates with the ordinary procedures, that is, through the proposal of the Council and the approval of the Council – underlines the regional councilor for local authorities, Andrea Messina –. The deadlines set by the law have been largely exceeded and, with them, also the additional window that we have set up through the Department offices to verify any inconsistencies between the information held by the regional administration and the actual political-administrative activity carried out. Citizens deserve respect and efficient services.”
Before taking office, the commissioners will once again ascertain the status of the proceedings and, only in the event of verified non-compliance, will they take office with the legitimacy to carry out all the activities required by law for the approval of the budgets, replacing the non-compliant bodies and requesting , where missing, the opinion of the economic-financial audit body.
Last May 22, the representatives of Anci Sicilia in a hearing at the Court of Auditors – control section for the Sicilian Region, had addressed the issue of the close correlation between the progressive decrease in national and regional funds intended for local authorities and the very high number of municipalities in critical financial conditions, underlining how a reversal of the trend in the number of financial crises is unthinkable if there is no increase in ordinary transfers destined for local authorities.
Anci today expressed appreciation for the Ars corrective regulation which intervenes to support municipalities on waste costs. “The provision in the corrective measure of 50 million for the extra costs of waste is certainly a positive fact. We remind you that these resources were allocated thanks to the battle that ANCI Sicily has been carrying out since January 2024, when the decree of the General Director of the Regional Water and Waste Department was canceled (n. 1389 of 7 November 2023) which provided for a partial compensation for the extra costs incurred by the municipalities exclusively between the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. This cancellation created a real hole in the budgets”.
This is the comment of Paolo Amenta and Mario Emanuele Alvano, president and general secretary of the Association of Sicilian Municipalities, who add: “We now hope that the regional Parliament will approve the maneuver quickly so that the municipalities can use this contribution for the Financial economic plan and for the determination of the TARI 2024”.
“We are fully aware – concludes Amenta – of the fact that this contribution is not in itself sufficient to counteract the exponential increases in waste costs that ANCI Sicily has been denouncing for some time. It is therefore necessary to take a further step forward by structurally reducing the costs associated with waste management. Finally, we hope that President Schifani’s commissioner powers can also be used to accelerate the construction of local plants in order to enhance separate waste collection”.
In the photo: The councilor for local authorities and public functions of the Sicilian Region, Andrea Messina (DC)
