The new regulation establishes a clear and homogeneous framework to govern the use, justification, and oversight of economic resources that the City Council allocates to the functioning of political groups with municipal representation, aiming to reinforce the principles of transparency and accountability in public fund management. These allocations, financed from the municipal budget, are distributed through a fixed amount, equal for all groups, and a variable part based on the number of councilors in each group.
The regulation expressly prohibits using these resources to pay salaries or remuneration supplements to elected officials, acquire assets that become part of the group's patrimony, or cover services and supplies already provided by the City Council. Any contribution to a political party must be linked to the provision of a specific and duly justified service, without direct transfers without this counter-service. To ensure resource tracking, each municipal group must have its own tax identification number, a separate bank account, and specific accounting records for all income and expenses.
One of the main innovations is the establishment of an annual justification procedure. Municipal groups must submit, before March 30 each year, the supporting documentation for expenses incurred during the previous fiscal year, including invoices, payment receipts, and bank statements. The Municipal Audit Office will be responsible for verifying this documentation and ensuring that expenses comply with permitted purposes. Subsequently, the justified accounts will be submitted to the Transparency Commission, which will report them to the Municipal Plenary. The regulation also stipulates that new contributions cannot be made to groups that have not correctly submitted the corresponding justifications for the previous fiscal year, and any amounts not adequately justified must be repaid to the City Council.
