THE LOOKOUT | Azambuja Chamber accounts with a negative result of 2.3 million euros

Silvino Lúcio, president of the Chamber of Azambuja

Municipality of Azambuja ended 2023 with liabilities of 2.3 million euros and a management balance of 3.8 million euros. The execution of revenue and expenditure stood at 88.4% and 77.4%, respectively.

The municipal executive of Azambuja approved, by majority, in an extraordinary meeting the accountability report for the 2023 financial year, the year in which it ended with a negative net result of 2.253 million euros. The document had favorable votes from PS (3) and CDU (1) and votes against from PSD (2) and Chega (1). When presenting the proposal, the president of the municipality, Silvino Lúcio (PS), stated that the Chamber of Azambuja complies with the budget balance rule and that at the end of 2023 the municipality had a debt capacity of around 18 million euros, adding which, as in previous years, continues to pay its suppliers in cash.
Despite these positive aspects, the socialist mayor highlighted that in relation to 2022, expenditure increased by around 2.4 million euros, with the contribution to this being the growth in personnel expenditure, the holding of events and the general increase in prices, particularly energy. , water, sanitation and communications. As important investments, he highlighted, among others, those co-financed by community funds such as the requalification of the riverside area of ​​Vala do Esteiro, the rehabilitation of Vítor Córdon and Engenheiro Moniz da Maia streets, requalification of the Basic School and Kindergarten of Vila Nova da Rainha and Largo de Palmela.
The accounts also reflect the transition from a management balance of 3.8 million euros to 2024, a budget execution of expenditure in the order of 77.4% (lower than in 2022, which was 85.2%), and a rate budget execution revenue of 88.4%, (also lower than last year’s 105.4%).

Opposition says there were no major works
On Chega’s side, councilor Inês Louro highlighted that “once again what this executive in office, constituted by the socialist government together with the CDU, has to offer is a negative balance” which demonstrates that there was a “bad budget forecast in view of the balance that must occur between income and expenses”. He also highlighted that this fact occurred in a year in which the municipality allocated more than two million euros for the installation of photovoltaic panels at Herdade da Torre Bela and that if this contribution had not been made, the negative result would have escalated to close to five million euros. .
Both Chega and the PSD, represented in the executive by councilors Rui Corça and José Paulo Pereira, considered that no major works had occurred in the municipality that could justify a negative result. Rui Corça also criticized the municipality’s lack of capacity to carry out important works such as the promised expansion of the Aveiras de Cima cemetery and the requalification of the Azambuja Secondary School and, also, the option of taking out a bank loan for the current maintenance of municipal roads. .
After the president of the municipality recalled a project that he considers important, that of stabilizing a slope to protect the population of Casais do Farol from collapse, which is still ongoing and cost half a million euros, also the vice-president, António José Matos highlighted that three million euros were invested from the municipal coffers between the supported and non-funded works, in addition to increasing support for parishes by 16% and support for families by 93%. “We spent the money with people and for people”, concluded the vice president.