An agreement between the PSC and the municipal government of Girona, made up of Junts and ERC, has made it possible to unlock the investment chapter in this year’s budget, which the government decided to extend last December due to the uncertainty of inflation and energy cost overruns .
Thanks to this agreement, the socialist group has introduced proposals worth more than two million euros, in addition to the 3.4 million investments contemplated by the government team and which included, among others, the Santa Eugènia police station , dissuasive parking at the southern entrance to the city or the purchase of the El Bòlit building, from Pou Rodó.
One point, that of investments, which in the plenary session last February, Mayor Marta Madrenas decided to withdraw from the agenda due to lack of support. This fact provoked a scuffle with the head of the opposition Lluc Salellas (Guanyem), a party that had presented various proposals to support the government team.
Finally, it has been with the PSC with whom the municipal government has managed to reach an agreement to unlock the city’s investments for next year.
The socialist spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, points out that this “is not an agreement for the gallery” but that it has been made “for the benefit of the city” and to avoid “budgetary instability” that could result from the municipal elections.
The Socialists have introduced in the chapter proposed investments in culture, sustainability, cycling and sports and other investments for the city’s neighborhoods
In the cultural field, they contemplate hiring a technician to start a study of the contemporary art collection in the city and to design an exhibition cycle.
It would be the step prior to the opening of the future Center d’Art Contemporani de Girona, currently under construction, and which is not expected to be a reality before the year 2026. “That figure must carry out a study of the contemporary art that the city has and think about the continent of the future museum”, indicated Panque.
They also contemplate an investment of about 90,000 euros for the La Volta cultural project, in the Sant Narcís neighborhood, which would contemplate the adaptation of a building in Assumpció square, which would become its headquarters and give continuity to the Sunset jazz room, which going through serious difficulties.
In terms of the environment and climate change, 300,000 euros will be allocated to the executive project ‘4 rius, 1 sèquia’ in the section that goes from the Font del Rei to the Pont de l’Areny and 100,000 more euros in the section of the green ring between the neighborhoods of Vista Alegre and Les Pedreres.
“Regulate and order” the businesses linked to cycling, which in recent years have proliferated vertiginously, especially in the center and old town of the city and, at the same time, get more out of this economic sector, is another of the points where the PSC wanted to put the focus.
In this sense, they propose a study to turn the Domeny area into a cycling pole, a place to practice this sport and at the same time to install new shops linked to this theme. Coexistence in the Barri Vell, where there is a high concentration of cyclists and businesses of this type, with the neighbors has already given some signs of exhaustion.
The improvement of sports equipment, such as the almost million euros that will be invested in the 11 Torres de Palau soccer field or the 138,000 euros destined for the new changing room of the Palau pavilion are other investments raised by the socialists in sports matters.
The rehabilitation of the Joan Bosco building, the demolition of a block of Font de la Pòlvora or the air conditioning of the Sant Narcís and Girona Est civic center complete the investments included by the PSC in the accounts.
The Socialists have also reached an agreement with the government team to distribute the 6 million euros of liquid treasury remnants. Councilor Bea Esporrín explains that the fact of having the budget extended has meant that items linked to inflation, such as wages or energy, have suffered increases that are not included in the budget.
“With the May elections, there will be a period without a constituted government team and having poorly endowed structural items could affect daily municipal operations,” Esporrín said to justify the agreement.
Chapter 1 will be supplemented with 2.1 million euros to face the salary increases of 2022 and 2023. The energy supply items will also be supplemented with 200,000 euros for the increase in the cost of bus fuel; 84,000 for schools; 73,000 euros for gas; 1.6 million more to assume the increase in electrical energy.
2 million euros will also be allocated to pay pending bills for street cleaning and waste collection treatment.
