The citizens of Tortosa can now exercise their right to vote in the 2026 Participatory Budgets, a process that will allow them to decide the allocation of a 250,000 euro fund for municipal investments. Voting will be open until August 31st and can be done both online via the City Council's website and in person at designated voting points.
Mayor Mar Lleixà highlighted the consolidation of this initiative, now in its ninth edition, as a key mechanism for citizen participation in budget definition. The total fund is distributed as follows: 210,000 euros for Tortosa city, 20,000 euros for Reguers, and 20,000 euros for Vinallop. The decentralized municipal entities (EMD) of Jesús, Campredó, and Bítem are not included in this process as they have their own participatory mechanisms.
This edition features a total of 64 technically validated proposals for voting: 42 for Tortosa city, 9 for Reguers, and 13 for Vinallop. In parallel, 249 initiatives were deemed invalid for reasons such as not being investment-related, lacking specificity, falling outside municipal competence, requiring prior technical studies, or exceeding the available budget.
Lleixà thanked citizens for their involvement in the previous phases, stating that "no one knows the needs of the neighborhoods better than the people who live there every day." The municipal government reaffirms its commitment to fostering citizen participation as a driver of the city's transformation.
The Councillor for Citizen Participation, Francesc Vallespí, detailed that in the initial phases, 124 individuals submitted 313 proposals. The eight participatory forums held saw 58 in-person attendees and collected 182 specific proposals.
Vallespí emphasized the informative and educational value of the forums, which served to explain the process and guide citizens. A coordination committee analyzed and grouped the proposals to form the final 64 actions now open for voting.
All residents of Tortosa aged 16 or over as of December 31, 2025, are eligible to vote. Vallespí urged participation, stating, "The more people vote, the richer and more representative the outcome will be." Online voting is available at [www2.tortosa.cat/pciutadana/votacio.php](www2.tortosa.cat/pciutadana/votacio.php).
