Good news for suppliers

This week, we will sign the loan with eleven banks. Such a loan will allow us to cover the debt of 12.8 million € incurred during the years 2008 and 2011 with different suppliers. We will make use of Royal Decree Law 4/2012. The measure is very good news for many small and medium enterprises in town in and the surrounding region, now they can receive payment -late payment- for jobs they performed in the past. Unpaid bills were an excessive burden for many of those companies.

The loans, amounting to 12.8 million €, correspond to 3.095 invoices recorded by the City Hall of Sitges, the Tourism Promotion Agency and "Societat Sitges Model XXI". The loan will be returned in 10 years with an interest rate of 5.9%. Such a rate will be applied during the first quarter and will be revised afterwards. Last week, the Municipal House approved the arrangement of the loan, a crucial step for signing the loan with different banks.

Since we gained access to municipal government a year ago, payment to suppliers has been a number one priority in our financial management policy. In this context, we included our first urgent measure in which we ordered payment of invoices below 1,500 Euros, corresponding mainly to small and independent businesses located in Sitges. According to the same principle, we are adopting a policy of budgetary constraints and reduced spending, which only authorizes the procurement of services and investments that have their corresponding budget allocation.

The above mentioned operations constitute a source of reflection for the current government, that wants to prevent the recurrence of situations like those recorded in recent years. The former government spent money they did not have, and had no qualms about increasing credit ad infinitum. The new political culture based on austerity in public spending is quite tough for people; they witness how services and benefits are reduced or suppressed. It is also quite tough for the municipal government, since their field of action is more limited. However, the positive lesson that we learned from such situations is that a general policy based on severe budgetary constraints is the best warranty to insure that resources are used in a responsible manner. Suppliers and citizens at large can rest reassured of our commitment.

Entrepreneurship

Last Friday marked the beginning of a new edition of Sitges Tapa a Tapa, the successful initiative of several restaurants and bars associated with the Restaurant and Lodging Association of Sitges. The initiative offers specially prepared "tapas" for the event during ten days. Until next Sunday, twenty bars and restaurants in Sitges will participate in this exciting initiative, which last year raised the attention of consumers and attracted new customers to participating bars and restaurants. 

The campaign Sitges Tapa a Tapa shows that the combination of talent, drive and work are good allies to obtain results. During the first days of this year's campaign, the public tried the offers of each bar and restaurant, and they realized that the initiative is positive for all stakeholders: bars and restaurants, since they get more clients and exposure; consumers, because they can enjoy attractive offers, and the entire Sitges and our Sitges Brand, because the event reinforces our position and generates direct and indirect traffic to town.

Although we are going through difficult times, such initiatives are an actual proof that Sitges has an enormous potential for future growth. Sitges Tapa a Tapa is just an example of the entrepreneurial nature of our tourism industry, which has always been at the forefront of initiatives to boost the economy. In fact, the Restaurant and Lodging Association of Sitges was an extremely innovative organization when initially chartered, afterwards other organizations or trades joined forces to win together. The City Council will always support all such positive initiatives for Sitges and all residents.

La Montserrat Almirall. Last week, we lost a woman from Sitges that was very dear for several generations of "Sitgetans", "la Montserrat Almirall", "la senyu". When Montserrat passed away, the entire town felt a unanimous and saddening shudder. Her virtuous hands and her teaching spirit awoke a yearning for music among hundreds of local residents. Few places like her home, at the Francesc Gumà Street, have been such an authorized reference for music and a symbol of many memories for boys that are now grownups. They will be always accompanied by the bars and lessons learned with her piano teacher.

Saint George's Day: a very special day

Today is Saint George's Day. Just as the Town's Festival is the most important celebration for all the residents of Sitges, Saint George's Day involves the same for Catalans. We have several significant festivities in our calendar (Eleventh of September, Christmas, Easter ...), but Saint George's Day boasts a special flavor thanks to the tradition of giving away a book and a rose, a great contribution that Catalans have made to global culture. Saint George's Day amounts to peruse and buy books, a fully recommended activity, and have them signed by the author. It also amounts to walk around and participate in cultural activities, and express and display our feelings. It's a date that I fully enjoy, as many other Catalans. Now, acting as Mayor of Sitges, I will experience the festivity with a different implication and intensity, but with the same heartfelt emotions.

In recent years, Saint George's Day has acquired a significant projection in Sitges. In times of Pere Junyent, with Marc Martinez acting as Councilman of Culture, the City Council brought together all the activities organized by cultural entities under a common umbrella, to grant them a greater dimension and achieve a merrier celebration. It was a success which has been maintained during years. Today, the festivity is fully consolidated. Years later, the celebration was moved wisely to the promenade, to promote its growth and overcome the limitations of l'Hort de Can Falç or Cap de la Vila.

This year, the book fair, florists and cultural entities will also be the meeting point for all the inhabitants of Sitges. The difficult economic situation that affects the City Hall, which forces us to rationalize the cost to correct the deficit, also forced us to consider the option of sharing costs with participating companies and associations, something that involved an important hike in municipal fees in comparison with other years. Finally, however, we found together a solution that allowed maintaining the celebration with the same charm and high level, without involving an extra cost for exhibitors or the City Hall. Therefore, today we will witness again people swarming among books, roses and cultural entities that also project their image.

Saint George's Day took place last weekend. There were different book presentations, fully displaying the link with our profile as arts village, or yesterday's fantastic performance of "La Jove de Sitges" (Human Towers) at Cap de la Vila, with five of seven and four of seven with needle. Today evening, and also at Cap de la Vila, we will have the opportunity to put an end to one of the most beautiful days of the year with a Sardana dance with Cobla Maricel.

Good Saint George's Day to all!

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.

Quality services in our beaches

Two weeks ago, the Tourist Association of Beach Services (ATSP for its acronym in Catalan) inaugurated the acts of commemoration of its 25th anniversary. To open a full commemorative program, the Association organized the roundtable Building a new tourism in Sitges, where I had the honor to participate, along with other Government Team members such as Jorge Carretero, Lluis Marcé and Ignasi Garrigó, the president of ATSP, Manuel Martinez, and the director of Hotel Terramar, Fran Marcé. The debate highlighted that challenges faced by the tourism industry in Sitges are directly related with quality, both in providing services and in the supply of equipment and facilities. The owners and employees of beach services such as restaurants, hotels and apartments, are in this sense, the main actors in conveying the image of our town among tourists.

The beach season has started this weekend, coinciding with Easter. It also implies the beginning of the summer season, when our town pours most of its efforts on our major economic sector: tourism.  Therefore, we must welcome the arrival of the season with the support they deserve, and the trust that the good work done during previous months will lead to positive results, despite the current difficult situation.

During the nineties, Sitges made a smart bet in favor of deseasonalization, with the aim that tourism could be maintained during almost all year. It was a necessary step to adapt to changing times and improve our competitiveness as a first class tourism Mecca. The efforts and the strategic bet made by the local tourism industry paid off (in a few years, we went from two four-star hotels to eight) and Sitges became a major favorite destination for conferences and conventions, such goal remains a reality that we promote dearly.

The task to become a prominent location for business meetings cannot leave behind or outside the policies to provide beaches with all the necessary quality services. Business conventions must be compatible with the tourism of sun and beach, as well as with cultural and sports tourism.

For all the above reasons, the City Hall produced a Beach Use Plan 2012-2016. The plan strives for imagination, quality and maximum safety on our beaches. Last year, more than 13 beaches in Sitges were granted the EMAS award (Community System for Ecomanagement and Eco-audit), managed by member states of the European Union based on reference standards ISO 14001. Such a fact recognized our efforts in favor of competitiveness and quality, and showed us the path to follow.

Time for “Caramelles”. “Caramelles” are one of the festive expressions of Sitges. To hear and sing "Caramelles" also means Easter, spring, music and lyrics of our teachers, our mountains ... and "sitgetanisme". This year, the three groups of "Caramelles" have launched, in conjunction with the City Hall, the "Give away Caramelles" promotion campaign, whereby families from Sitges have the opportunity to bring their songs to the balconies of their homes and collaborate in this way with the groups. I invite you to sing, listen and give away “Caramelles”.

A difficult but hopeful budget

Monday night, the Municipal House approved the budget of the City Council for 2012. This is the first budget of the government formed last June as a result of the outcome of recent elections. The budget was approved three months later than planned because, in a responsible manner, we conditioned approval upon the outcome of negotiations with employee representatives of the Corporation, as it directly affects municipal accounts. The budget was approved with votes in favor of the municipal government and the abstention of the Socialist Group. I want to publicly acknowledge the sense of responsibility shown in this episode.

The budget submitted by the Government draws five main values ​​that are absolutely essential in our policy, and that also constitute the core of this document: social justice and equality, austerity, transparency, reliability, and rigor and sense of duty. These five areas are the foundation of the lines of income and expenses that the City Hall and its agencies will apply during the current year.

The budgeting process has been difficult, without the ability, dedication and applied financial engineering of the Deputy Mayor for Finance, Jordi Mas, we would hardly been able to bring it to fruition. It is a difficult budget as it includes necessary restrictions, containment in expenditure and drastic reductions in investment. The situation faced by municipal finances forced the application of special measures, and especially the introduction of a new political culture, which makes austerity and the exercise of responsibility the foundation of a good government.

But it is also a budget that makes a firm commitment in favor of concrete social policies and services, which encompass a broad chapter called "Sitges of the people." This is the most important part (19.3%) of the total 48.7 million making up the budget, after the part which is unfortunately the larger (37.8%), which is intended to narrow our serious budget deficit. As a "Sitges of the people", we understand social policies, initiatives to support families and groups and actions aimed at improving the quality of life of all the inhabitants of Sitges. The approved document also contains, despite the forced restrictions, items intended for the socio-economic revitalization of the town.

The 2012 budget was made possible thanks to the efforts applied by many sectors of the town: organizations, societies and all the universe of festivities, all those sectors offset the decline in their respective budget lines with an increase in personal or collective dedication; companies and self-employed of Sitges that assumed the irrational late payments of their bills by the City Hall, the group of employees of the City Hall that agreed to give up certain rights acquired to avoid the reduction of staff; and all the citizens of the municipality, who must give up some services or facilities due to the serious situation affecting municipal finances. I want to thank all these sectors, groups and citizens, and I also want to encourage them to continue working every day, without losing faith or hope.

An agreement that guarantees jobs

Today, Wednesday, March 7, we presented the Agreement that the government of the New Majority signed with the Union Leaders of the City Hall (CONC-CCOO, CSI-F, USOC, SFP and UGT). The Agreement guarantees the continuity of employment, thanks to the renunciation by part of the staff of certain benefits consolidated over the years. The Agreement represents savings of 1.4 million € for the City Hall.

The Agreement regulates the temporary suspension of the concepts of productivity, the municipal contribution to the pension plan and certain social benefits enjoyed by the workers of the City Hall. The Agreement allowed the corporation to maintain the 2012 staff, an impossible feat without the agreed reduction of expenses that stopped unavoidable layoffs.

In this regard, thanks to the understanding between the Government and Union Representatives, the Chapter 1 Item of the 2012 Municipal Budget, to be approved during the coming weeks, which corresponds to the cost of staff and human resources, will show a reduction of 1,4 million Euros in relation with last year’s figures. To the abovementioned savings, we must also add the reduction in salaries of elected officials implemented by the government of the New Majority at the beginning of the current legislature, and also the suppression of various positions of trust and directors.

All such measures aim to reduce the deficit and redirect municipal finances, in a dire state thanks to irresponsible management implemented during the past years.

For this reason, I want to thank the exercise of responsibility made by the Union Representatives of the City Hall. They are well aware of serious condition of municipal finances. A responsibility that all the inhabitants of Sitges show everyday. They know that the current economic climate do not allow the maintenance of certain situations. We were able to witness such a responsible behavior during the Three Wise Men Celebration, and just a few days ago during Carnival. We can also perceive such a stance everyday in the attitude of all businesses, organizations and society at large with a direct or indirect relationship with the City Hall. We are determined to redirect municipal finances, but to make this possible we need efforts, imagination and will.

The situation is very complex, but we will prevail if we act with financial accuracy, and with the capacity of mutual understanding and the dynamic and active spirit that has always distinguished this town.