por ALFREDO AZCARATE VARELA
THE BAJA POST/EDITOR
Photo: Courtesy https://columnaocho.com/
The total budget for Mexicali municipal public works in 2021 is going to be 370 million pesos and 10% (that is, around 40 million pesos) will be designed by participative budget, which is a vote that people cast when they pay their land property tax in Mexicali, San Felipe, Los Algodones and the Mexicali Valley, all part of one big municipality, according to Julieta Ramirez, Mexicali City Hall Strategic Projects coordinator.
The land property tax must be paid by anyone who owns land or any kind of real state whatsoever, be it Mexican or not, so many ex-pats living in San Felipe and or having land or property in Mexicali, can approach authorities to pay and take part on the budget designation, with an active but proportional participation in the destination of the money paid.
The so-called participative budget, is a concept of community members participating to direct the money paid to different branches of public works, such as pavement for streets, street lighting and other concepts, it is a communal decision process where people have more participation and “have say” in the public works process.
“For example”, she said, “we give them several choices to vote for, and as I told you street lights and pavement are the most voted, so there will be about 40 million pesos spent on them, in a social project where people take part in the decision making process in a relative but motivational way.
Pavement is a big issue for the city, public lighting for the Puebla Angels section of the city is the concept with the most votes, pavement is also another big need and has received a lot of votes, but it is second place behind the street lighting, but invitation to vote on the participative budget is open to everyone who comes to pay property taxes to City Hall or any other authorized payment centers.
Ramirez also said that the citizens are paying as expected, they are aware of the relevance of this tax, which is the main revenue source for Mexicali Municipality, and she congratulated the people living in the areas of the city that have been paying this tax, and invited all Mexicali residents to pay this tax and participate.
The rich as well as the poor have been paying, but there are big corporations and other companies who are reluctant to pay, said Ramirez, but she also informed that Mexicali International Airport, which is owned by a corporative organization named Pacific Airports Group, is now going today after years of legal battles, when the company refused to contribute with the land property tax.
