The cut in state transfers and the municipality's own financial situation will limit the Silves Chamber's "capacity to carry out and invest" in the coming years, warned the new president Rosa Palma yesterday in her inaugural speech.
«For 2014, the Government reduced transfers to the municipality of Silves by 416 thousand euros», within the scope of financial restrictions and the new Local Finance Law, began by underlining the newly inaugurated mayor.
"It is also not worth hiding the difficult financial situation of the municipality of Silven, namely, the liabilities resulting from the sad process Viga d'Ouro, which will reach values clearly above the 5 million euros that are inscribed in the official documents", added President Rosa Palm.
But this difficult situation, he assured, will not paralyze the activity of the Chamber of Silves, moreover because, underlined the mayor, "it is our firm will to conduct municipal affairs according to criteria of good management, organization and planning, with transparency, effectiveness and efficiency ».
The "new cycle" now starting in Silves involves the "strategy" of "mobilizing the human, financial and material resources of the municipality as a whole, reorganizing and enhancing them", but also "attracting investment and promoting the potential of the municipality of Silves in the areas of culture, environment, heritage, tourism, agriculture and industry", "finalize the process of reviewing the Municipal Master Plan", and still "do not lose sight of "the constantly postponed dream" of seeing it come true the structuring project for the “Desilting and Revitalization of the Arade River Banks”».
As this is a municipality with a majority CDU, social problems are also at the top of the hierarchy of priorities, so, stressed Rosa Palma, «within the framework of our own skills and resources, and in view of the growing problems of families, we will not fail to do so. serious efforts in terms of diagnosis and resolution of social problems».
But the mayor, following the matrix that has been defined by the communists at the national level, also made a point of stressing that the Chamber of Silves, whose fate she now presides over, will oppose, «within the legal and political framework, the attempts at privatization of water and sanitation distribution networks, collection of urban solid waste or other goods, with the central concern of valuing those who work, protecting employment, and defending the quality of public service».
Defending the need to "maximize applications for community and/or national funds available to municipalities", either "in this Community Framework still in force (if still possible)", or "in the next (2014/2020), when the regulations and programs are approved, however, it is not known under what conditions the Municipalities will be able to access the respective funds».
Urban cleaning is «the county's own image»
Mayor Rosa Palma also underlined the intention to "monetize the local authority's capacity to carry out internally".
In this regard, he announced, great attention will be given to «public cleaning and the collection of urban solid waste (the cleaning of containers)», pointed out by the mayor as «one of the examples in which the municipality can and should take a qualitative leap in its work ».
The fact is that, he stressed, "it is public hygiene that is at stake, but it is also the image of the municipality itself."
The new municipal executive's priorities are also to “fulfill the obligations in the area of schools and education – supporting, supplying, repairing, equipping, defining municipal policies, etc.”, as well as “finalizing, using and enhancing the role of various social facilities built. (or under construction) by the municipality, placing them at the service of the population».
Finally, and also because Rosa Palma does not have a majority in the municipal executive, since, in addition to the presidency, the CDU has only two councilors, against four in the opposition (two from the PSD and as many from the PS), the mayor appealed «to the positive contribution by the Councilors that make up the Municipal Executive, without exception» and to the «positive contribution of all political forces with responsibilities in the municipality of Silves, in the sense of uniting around the essential, always putting first, the interests of populations, institutions and the territory». "All constructive proposals will be welcomed", guaranteed the new president of the Chamber.
A very popular swearing-in.
It was in front of a noble hall full of people, with dozens of people having to follow the ceremony on the two television screens mounted in the lobby, that Rosa Palma took office this Monday as the new mayor of Silves City Council.
The curious thing is that the president and the councilors even had to sign the inauguration minutes twice, since one of them, the first time, had made a mistake. A small delay that did not detract from the brilliance of the ceremony.
This was followed by the inauguration of the members of the Municipal Assembly, which culminated in its first installation meeting, during which the board was elected, with Analídio Brás (CDU) being chosen as president, with Luísa Duarte and Aníbal Cabrita, both also from the CDU, as 1st and 2nd secretaries.
The ceremony was attended by many relatives of the new mayor, namely her husband, who is also a mayor (president of the Parish Council of São Bartolomeu de Messines) and her two children. Also present were some students of Rosa Palma, who now had to leave the school in Silves where she taught to embrace the new functions ahead of the county's destinies.
Veja here more pictures of the swearing-in in Silves
Comments