The Lagos City Council approved, at its last City Council Meeting this year, the Budget proposal and the Major Plan Options (GOP) for 2012, which define the lines of strategic development, including the Multi-Year Investment Plan (PPI) and the most relevant activities of the municipal management, with a global value of 73 million euros.
The Budget Proposal and Major Plan Options for the year 2012, as well as the burden sharing map, the personnel map, the Training Plan and the amendment to the Protocols to be established with the Parish Councils, will now be submitted to the appreciation and approval of the Municipal Assembly, in a meeting to take place on December 28th.
The document will be available for consultation at the Municipality's Virtual Desk in www.cm-lagos.com.
The municipality of Lagos admits that "there is still a great deal of uncertainty about revenue collection, as was the case last year."
On the other hand, the need to «channel greater amounts to the area of social support (taking into account the adverse effects of the economic and financial crisis that Europe, the country, the region and the municipality of Lagos are currently going through) conditions , also, the forecasts for the execution of the actions to be carried out».
By the way, the social area was already considered by the municipal executive as the «priority area for the next year».
Alongside this, another of the fundamental concerns for the 2012 financial year will be, according to the Câmara de Lagos, «the rigorous and austere monitoring of the municipal management with regard to ongoing projects, as well as the need to sharply contain municipal costs and the fulfillment of commitments and debts to suppliers».
This planning instrument therefore reflects, «although conditioned by the current financial situation and as far as possible, the main concerns heard and discussed in the electoral campaign and reflected in the electoral programs for the 2010/2013 quadrennium».
In general, in Lagos, the economic year of 2012 will stand out due to the fact that there are large projects to be included in the plan, those that are ongoing (45%) or have decisions taken that commit the Municipality to their execution ( 7%), representing 52% of the set of actions.
The main concern for the next year will be “to ensure financial coverage for the completion of ongoing projects/initiatives”, namely the School Network Reorganization Program (EB1 + JI of Vila da Luz) and the Subsidy for Home Construction Residential of NECI.
Despite the contention and the difficulties, Lagos still foresees some new projects, registered in PPI, and "possibly financed by community funds".
These are the project Lagos na Rota dos Escravos (Slave Market, Cais Velho), the Esplanade of the Car Park on the River Front, the Mobility Plan for the Historic Center and the Rehabilitation of the Old Gil Eanes School (New School of Arts and Offices).
With regard to the municipality's Parish Councils, there was a need to contain the activity and transfers at the level of delegations of competences, as a result of the municipality's financial constraints, which oblige a reduction of about 30% of the amount foreseen.
The Câmara de Lagos also points out that the preparation of the GOP 2012 was based on some previous guidelines, namely "reorganizing municipal services in order to absorb, without financial costs, the changes resulting from the decrease in the number of directors, the departure of technicians in commission services, as well as the provision of services under a contract'.
Another guideline was to “reduce operating expenses, in order to ensure the financial balance of the municipality, continuing to guarantee, as far as possible, the quality levels of the service provided to citizens”.
"Decrease the number of shares and the value of capital/investment expenditures, establishing priorities according to the available net resources", was another of the guidelines, as well as "promoting the integrated management of information, as well as information systems, with the objective of to ensure the improvement of the operating conditions of the services and to develop a culture of modernization that moves towards the dematerialization of processes, supported by greater information security».
Underlying the preparation of the GOP for 2012 was the need to "activate mechanisms that minimize the negative effects of reducing subsidies and contributions to cultural, sporting, recreational and humanitarian activities promoted by the Municipality, associations or local institutions", as well as "develop any other projects and activities identified by the services that add value to the interaction of the services with higher guidance".
See all news about municipal budgets of the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo in: http://www.sulinformacao.com/?p=9943
Comments