Sicily: 37 million from the Region to support Municipalities in financial difficulty

Thirty-seven million euros to support Sicilian municipalities in financial difficulty. These are the resources provided in five decrees issued by the regional councillor for local authorities, Andrew Messina, intended for the financial rebalancing plans of local authorities. A measure that in this way implements regional law 25 of 2024.

«These are interventions in favour of Sicilian municipalities in a state of difficulty, in a rebalancing procedure or in bankruptcy – highlights the councillor Messina – which have been adopted for the first time by the Region. With the law approved last August we wanted to help local authorities that, due to the evident economic difficulty, risk compromising their activities and, therefore, social stability. With the contributions we aim to facilitate the exit from the crisis, simultaneously guaranteeing the provision of essential services and the management of ordinary administrative activities».

In particular, a first measure of 12,5 million euros is allocated to 56 Municipalities, with a population of up to 25 thousand inhabitants, in financial distress at the date of 30 September 2024 and to those who closed the bankruptcy after the 31 December 2022.

Others 2,5 million euro are intended for the Municipalities of Palermo and Messina, to ensure the sustainability of the multi-year financial rebalancing plans approved by the respective municipal councils, and to the Municipality of Catania for the completion of the five-year period of the stably rebalanced budget.

An 11,5 million euro decree allocates resources to 23 municipalities, to cover the liabilities included in the multi-year financial rebalancing plans, with a subdivision based on the number of inhabitants. To those with a population of up to 15 thousand inhabitants, which in the year 2021 have been recipients of a state contribution from the National Fund provided for by law 106/2021, must be 2 million euro to compensate for the failure of the State to allocate the forecasts relating to the 2024 financial year. Finally, 8,5 million euro have been assigned to the Municipalities of serradifalco (Cl), Lingfield e Militello in Val di Catania (Ct), Librizzi, Patti, Villafranca Tirrena (Me) and Campobello di Mazara (Tp) to cover liabilities in their respective multi-year financial rebalancing plans and which had requested recourse to the revolving fund.