The local departments of Citizen Participation, Economy, and Finance in the Arona City Council have initiated a pilot project for involving the community in the preparation of the municipal budget for 2025. Headed by Rubens Delgado and Guacimara Tavío, this initiative is groundbreaking as, for the first time in Arona, citizens have the opportunity to directly participate in creating the local budget.
The mayor, Fátima Lemes, emphasised yesterday that “prioritising citizens is crucial, which is why it is incredibly important that we involve them in the budget planning process. Not only is this a first in Arona, but we aim for it to become a regular practice where citizens play a significant role in designing the budgets to best reflect the needs of the neighbourhoods and towns.”
Any resident or citizen organisation can put forward specific proposals concerning the council’s public actions and also evaluate proposals from others. A budget of 700,000 euros has been allocated for this pilot project.
Guacimara Tavío, the Councillor for Economy and Finance, highlighted that “following three years with a prolonged budget and achieving a record-time approval for the 2024 budget, for the 2025 accounts, we wanted to take a further step by involving all residents in the decision-making process. This will be the inaugural year of participative budgets in Arona, allowing residents to engage and make decisions on planned actions for the year.”
Individuals participating in providing online proposals during the initial phase and voting on these proposals in the second phase will need to register on the DecideArona platform. Additionally, the council may solicit proposals from citizens or citizen groups on various topics related to policies or public administration. Individuals aged over 16 and registered in the municipality of Arona are eligible to participate.
Rubens Delgado, the Councillor for Citizen Participation, noted that “participative budgets offer numerous advantages as they can enhance transparency in municipal expenditure and encourage citizen engagement in deciding on public resources.”
Each resident can submit as many proposals as they see fit for the area they are registered in and subsequently vote on their inclusion in the budget.
Final stages of the Las Galletas civic center renovations
The completion of the Las Galletas civic centre renovations is in its final phases after a decade of setbacks and delays, as stated by the Councillor for Contracting, Works, and Infrastructure, Juan Sebastián Roque. Work is currently ongoing to rectify any remaining faults and deficiencies to complete and open this building, which has incurred a total cost exceeding 1.7 million euros.
INITIATIVE
Roque disclosed that the city council has assumed responsibility on an emergency basis for fixing dampness issues (8,500 euros), certifying and activating the lifts (6,500 euros), and installing the building’s air conditioning system (8,551 euros). These measures are being carried out through contracted procedures classified as minor works and were awarded between May and June 2024. They are expected to be completed within two months.
