The Guarda Chamber, led by the Pela Guarda movement, closed the year 2023 with a negative net result of one million euros (ME), according to the document approved by the Municipal Assembly.
The 2023 accounting was approved by a majority with 46 votes in favor and 29 abstentions.
The president of the Chamber, Sérgio Costa, considered that in 2023 it was possible to keep the municipality’s accounts healthy, despite the increase in charges caused by inflation.
“A raise [inflação] which was not accompanied by current transfers from the State Budget, which in this way also led to us having a net result with a negative variation in relation to 2022”, argued the mayor of the Pela Guarda movement.
Sérgio Costa highlighted that this is why local authorities continue to demand the funds to be transferred because “in fact the costs continue to increase”.
Deputy António Oliveira, from the Pela Guarda movement, considered that these were “good accounts” and that they reflected “a reasonable economic and financial situation”.
The PSD bench pointed out “the error” of the City Council, changing it to the fact that the trend registered until 2021 is reversing.
“We saw a lot of spending”, said deputy Ricardo Neves de Sousa.
PS deputy, Miguel Borges, highlighted the increase in rates, the increase in debt to suppliers and the excess use of direct adjustments.
The document had been approved by a majority in the executive, with the abstentions of the three elected members of the PSD and the PS councilor.
The Municipal Assembly was also marked by the abandonment of the PSD deputies’ room when the contracting of a loan for the purchase of buses was being discussed.
PSD elected officials disagreed with the way the debate was being conducted.
At the time, the president of the Valhelhas Parish Council, Helder Saraiva, was speaking, criticizing the PSD councilors and the PS councilor in the Chamber for having failed last week to take out another loan worth 7.6 ME, for financing of municipal investments.
The matter would also be addressed by the president of the Parish Council of Aldeia Viçosa, Luís Prata.
The loan was intended, among other investments, to support the works being carried out in the parishes to requalify structures damaged by the 2022 fires and repair damage from the floods.
PSD deputies returned to the room at the beginning of the intervention by the president of the municipality, Sérgio Costa, who reiterated the possibility of investments being suspended.
The PSD bench leader, João Correia, later considered that the interventions on the loan lead should have been made in the period before the agenda and not when the loan for the purchase of buses was being discussed.
“We are mixing garlic with bugs”, said the deputy.
