The National Association of Municipal Assemblies (ANAM) took last week to the 5th. Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Budget, some of the issues that have been limiting the exercise of Municipal Assemblies, at a time when the transfer of powers to the Municipalities is taking place, which presupposes increased responsibilities for the Municipal Assemblies, as a deliberative body and, essentially, supervisory.
Regarding the State Budget for 2023, whose final vote is scheduled for the 25th of November, ANAM, representing the more than 200 members, considers that “if, as a deliberative body, it is up to the Municipal Assemblies to assess the annual municipal budget , it is essential that they are involved in what are the budget decisions that concern the municipalities, with the current legal framework.”
In this sense, ANAM calls for a change in the municipal budget approval system by the Municipal Assembly, that is, the obligation to carry out a prior hearing in order to obtain a positive opinion on the budget, regardless of the position that each party may take. reflect when voting on the budget proposal.
As Albino Almeida, president of ANAM, explains, recalling that the municipal budget presented to the Municipal Assembly is not subject to any change, being only approved, in accordance with the proposal of the Chamber, or rejected “it was important that, anticipating the presentation of the Municipal Budget , this should be presented by the Statutory Auditor, who should assume, in this matter, a role close to a Municipal Budget Appreciation Technical Unit. With a minimal financial effort, greater empowerment of municipal decision-makers will be achieved”.
Regarding the decentralization process and the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, ANAM argues that “one cannot want to deepen democracy, strengthen citizenship, improve the quality of scrutiny, especially at a time when there will be more powers for the Chambers, demanding a greater capacity to accompany all the processes of political reorganization in course, with the current legal framework”.
In this sense, he continued, “it would be essential to create a new clear and transparent legal framework for the supervision of municipal public policies that will take place within the scope of the PRR and that must undergo consideration by the Municipal Assemblies”.
Insisting on the need to promote greater dignification and appreciation of Municipal Assemblies, ANAM considers that “it is not acceptable that, with a more mature democracy today and almost fifty years old, Municipal Assemblies continue to exist without the physical conditions and human resources to carry out the functions as a deliberative body. It should be noted that the President of the Municipal Assembly authorizes the expenditure, but the respective budget was not always submitted to him in advance”.
On the issue of the autonomy of Municipal Assemblies, ANAM maintains the position it has been defending: “it is not admissible to continue to limit the payment of attendance vouchers to municipal representatives, even when this is provided for in the respective Regulations of the Assemblies”.
The Commission assumed the commitment to study the issues raised by ANAM and give them the appropriate framework in the next State Budget and in other legislative moments that the Assemblies carry out, related to the deliberative Local Power.
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