The local government expects to compensate for the decline in IBI with the rise in the housing and construction sectors
A new socio-cultural center is already taking shape on Avenida del Puerto, next to the Thalasia hotel. It will be ready to host theatrical performances, concerts and local festivals in the last quarter of this year after works that will have cost 1.25 million euros, plus 25,000 euros in extra furniture.
This future meeting point with culture raises the investment figure in 2022, which will rise to 4.16 million euros in total. The local government has also included 1.1 million euros contributed by the Autonomous Community for the improvement of several urban roads that it cedes to the municipality in exchange for its subsequent maintenance. They are regional roads that have until now been integrated into the urban fabric, such as the street that starts from the Plaza de la Constitución and reaches La Curva, in Lo Pagán, or the one that joins the junction of the old Manolo bar with the roundabout of the little boat of paper in the direction of El Mojón.
An investment of 150,000 euros to improve the rainwater network and prevent its arrival in the Mar Menor is also foreseen in the municipal budgets, which the local executive, of the PP, approved at 29,512,546.70 euros, with a large absolute majority before the Citizens abstention and votes against the PSOE and Vox.
The reform of the Lo Pagán soccer field, with 123,000 euros, and various resurfacing works for 525,000 euros add to the investment item. One of the novelties will be visible on the beaches, where the City Council will invest 100,000 euros in installing fixed toilets, connected to the drinking water network and the sewerage, in order to eliminate portable ones, which spoil the aesthetics of the coast.
“It is a budget still marked by the Covid, but not as much as that of 2021, since cultural, social and sports activities are planned,” says the Councilor for Finance, José Fernández Andreo. At the moment, 390,000 euros are maintained for cleaning, vaccination operations and other expenses related to protection against the coronavirus.
Social aid and social, cultural and educational subsidies will add up to one and a half million euros. To cope with the increase in expenses and investments, the City Council expects to increase its income by 13% this year, mainly due to “a greater participation in State taxes, which increase by more than one million euros, to 6,528,000 euros ”, explains the mayor.
More homes
Another source of income on the rise comes from the collection of the IBI, which already increased by 33% last year “due to the rise in the construction and housing sectors”, highlights Fernández Andreo. The mayor hopes to compensate with this growing trend the decrease in the IBI, from 0.57 to 0.54 of coefficient, which the City Council has approved to compensate the last section of cadastral rise that will mean 10% more in the value of the properties, although these variations affect in an irregular way in the receipts.
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