On day 24, Public Hearing

On Tuesday 24, at 20 hours, I will present to the citizens of the town the first year balance of the municipal government. The current municipal government is a coalition formed in June 2011 by CiU, PP, SGI and NH in order to achieve an improvement in the City Hall of Sitges in a very difficult context. The event was organized so that representatives of organizations and associations and all of Sitges can transmit their questions, suggestions or complaints to the Mayor.

The event was designed with the format of Public Hearing, which emphasize its institutional character, while reaffirming its condition as an open and diverse discussion. From the onset, this government has the firm determination to strengthen all communication channels with our citizens. It is a basic principle present in the basis of our institutional actions and we try to apply it at all times, although, sometimes, not always at the level of intensity that we all want, but with effort and goodwill we will improve it day by day.

For this reason, I invite all the residents of Sitges to attend and participate in the Public Hearing. For those who cannot be there physically, we have created an electronic option so they can send their opinions via email participacio@sitges.cat.

First year in office: an assessment 
Balance of the first year

THE TOWN FESTIVAL OS REVVING UP THEIR ENGINES.I will take advantage of this opportunity to congratulate the festival towncrier of this year, Miquel Marzal, and the banner carriers, Trino Carbonell and Rubí, with whom I share many things, including our love for our town. At the same time, I encourage the Commission of our Main Festivity so than even with the cut of 55%, they will continue working with the intensity, imagination and ingenuity that they are applying to achieve a good Festival, despite the adverse economic climate.

Garraf and Botigues; two places with their own realities

Last week, I participated along with other components of the Municipal Government in the Municipal Council of Garraf and Botigues. The main goal of the meeting was to devise a plan of action for the two locations for the coming months, so the needs of the residents could become the real roadmap of the City Hall for the two locations. It was a pleasant meeting, but above all it was an especially rewarding one, because we share a way of doing things that must be the rule to govern the municipal action plan. Such actions must answer both to our limited financial possibilities and to the real needs of both sectors.

During recent years, Sitges and also the rest of the country witnessed public works, sometimes accompanied by substantial investments, that were not only not necessary to improve the quality of life, but that also were totally unnecessary. The use and abuse of this way of managing public assets is one of the reasons that led us to the extreme difficulties we are now facing. 

It is significant, however, that Garraf and Botigues have the feeling that the past boom years did not leave the investments they deserved, and that now it is not possible to answer to all desired implementations. The situation is doubly complex because both sectors deserve the implementation of works that are necessary and fully justified.

Therefore, our plan for Botigues and Garraf is based in work carried out in close collaboration with the neighbors. In this sense, the work carried out by the Territorial Councilor Lluis Marcé and by the Participation Councilor Josep Moliné is crucial, and shows the willingness of the local government to implement actions that involve effective and real environmental improvements. Residents and the City Hall have activated jointly all the priorities that involve improvement of access to both areas, beach-cleaning and maintenance of public roads. This form of public implementation that encourages participation and responds to the real needs of residents is the line on which we want to base our policy of service planning and implementation in public roads.

Sitges Reference: a ruinous operation

The City Hall of Sitges submitted to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor all the necessary documentation concerning the process of award, construction and management of the Sitges Reference building. The alleged irregularities that have been committed in this operation, and all the obvious errors in all the planning and management functions of the building, are the main reasons why this sad affair is now a hot item in all the media.

 The building was promoted and built by a company participated by 50% by the City Hall, with the goal of installing business offices in Sitges. The original intention of the initiative was correct, but the process was erratic from the start, both in development and in its subsequent management. Such statements can be highlighted by the fact that no company from Sitges or from outside chose the building to install their operations, among other factors, because the prices offered by the company were much higher those offered by the market (at that time Real Estate had not collapsed yet as in recent months).

 Back in the day, the groups that integrate the current government of the New Majority, back then in the opposition, denounced the relocation of most municipal facilities in the Sitges Reference building just because they did not find any company interested in installing their offices there. Such relocation was carried out under erroneous terms and dismalling economic conditions for the already floundering municipal finances. 

And the City Hall, as a result of this decision, had to assume an absurd and overly exaggerated monthly payment. This decision, taken by the previous municipal government, was the last drop in an endless a chain of planning errors (a flagrant demonstration that the goal of Sitges Reference was never achieved and was a total failure) and a disaster in economic terms (as it meant that the City Council had to pay rent for their own property). Worst of all is that now we're paying the consequences.

 As soon as we could access all information through the municipal company acting as holding company, Sitges Model XXI SA, we could perceive that the confusion did not stop there. The financial audit conducted a few months ago to know in detail the state of municipal finances, their procedures and external reports, detected a budget deviation of 2.3 million Euros in the construction of this building, and a 40% surcharge on the rental agreement signed between the sponsoring company and the city for the employment of space. For these reasons and others that show the disastrous consequences of this operation, the Board of the municipal company Sitges Model XXI SA adopted at its last meeting the decision to submit the project to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor.

 The Governing Body has kept and maintained throughout this process, an attitude of institutional loyalty and respect for justice in their proceedings. We will not use this issue in a partisan way (if this had been our intention, the process of complaint would have been different), but obviously we will be consistent with our policy of a rational and responsible use of public money.

 The most obvious contrast in comparison with the policy of irrational spending undertaken by the previous Socialist Government was made patent yesterday, with the transfer of the Citizen’s Service Office (OAC) to Carrer Nou, to a building owned by the City Hall that will allow us to save an unnecessary expense.

Fairer Ordinances

The Ordinances provide
for allowances of facades

The Municipal Plenary Meeting held on 24 October approved revenue ordinances and public fees corresponding to 2012. The proposal made by the government of The New Majority and exposed by the Councillor for Finance and Public Innovation, Jordi Mas, modulates the prices with the triple purpose of rebalancing services provided by the City Council in a fair manner, so to avoid that citizens are forced to assume the entire cost and to fix rates in the current economic austerity policy, which, in the case of the city of Sitges, requires additional efforts because of erroneous and irresponsible management during recent years.

The proposed ordinances drafted by the municipal government stress the importance of social equality: it is fairer that those that use services pay for them than share their cost among all citizens. It is a policy that aims to balance services in a more equitable manner, and ensures their proper use by citizens.

At the same time, the Ordinances of 2012 also include a wide range of discounts aimed at segments that suffer most because of the crisis and the current difficulties, and that are a top priority for our government. Actions that benefit the whole municipality and surrounding areas from a social standpoint, such as the regular use of the waste collection centers, rehabilitation of facades or the removal of architectural barriers, among others.

In reference to the Real Estate Tax (IBI), the municipal government - even considering the pitiful plight of municipal finances - has kept the increase in the same terms as the CPI, ie, 3%.

Unfortunately, there are those who want to confuse maliciously the people of Sitges, making totally biased interpretations of tax ordinances and public prices that are entirely packed with lies and fabricated information. I refer to the main opposition group, the PSC. They answered to the responsible initiative of the New Majority with a writing filled with fabricated information, in no way extracted from the document approved by the Municipal Plenary Meeting.

It is quite sad that the PSC of Sitges is basing its policy in lies in an attempt to confuse the people of Sitges with false information (such as the lunacy that "the increase of taxes is 23 %"!!!). Indeed, if the financial and economic situation of the City is in a very critical condition (do not forget that our City is among the 10 Catalan municipalities with the worst economic data, according to an external report) is due to bad management, suicidal expenditures and overinflated staff. The legacy of eight years of socialist rule. The new municipal government, however, has accepted the difficult challenge of redirecting the situation, without placing the burden of past errors on the shoulders of the inhabitants of Sitges. And these municipal ordinances passed by the Municipal Plenary Meeting, are a good proof of our intent.

In addition, I will take advantage of these lines to affectionately greet the new era of the Sitges Heritage Consortium. The Consortium was incorporated last Thursday under the direction of Vinyet Panyella, with the clear goal of finishing the refurbishment works of museums according to the criteria established by the City Hall and the Provincial Council, that avoid breaking our historical waterfront or damaging our heritage, as was the intent of the past proposal prepared by the socialist government.