Isilda Gomes has had a rough ride at Portimão Council but the headline figures show a successful 2015 with the accounts closing with a surplus of €8.1 million – “the best ever” according to a delighted treasury.
"Portimão is out of the red, the first time we have shown positive results, despite maintaining a high debt which forced us to resort to the Municipal Aid Fund," said mayor Gomes.
"Strict management and the reduction of expenditure by about €13 million (23%), has allowed us to turn around the accounts from a net loss of €5.5 million in 2014 to a surplus of €8.1 million in 2015," reports Gomes.
Between October 2013 and December 2015 the council has paid €25 million to its creditors, reducing the number from 1,303 to 328 but the council still owes €137 million, much the same figure as when Gomes came to power 1,000 days ago, taking over from the financially incompetent Manuel da Luz.
The total year-end debt for 2015 was still a staggering 300% of the council's three year average revenue but Gomes said the positive 2015 result was "achieved with the enormous effort of the population and the council now is able to catch up on essential repairs and maintenance, including the repaving of roads and renovation of green spaces in a tourist town which could do little due to the debt accumulated by the previous executive."
"It was a painful path to follow and was only possible with the effort and will of the citizens," said the mayor, adding that "despite the financial difficulties of the city, it was possible to alleviate the tax burden by reducing the IMI (Property Tax) by 10%, from 0.50% to 0.45%."
The mayor said that in addition to balancing the books and creating a year end surplus, "the city made social support for the poorest families a priority. At the moment, the local authority supports more than 750 families, with rent aid, medicines and food," said Gomes whose 1,000 days in office have shown her to be tenacious, even though some of the protocols of local government may expediently have been ignored as she grappled with creditors, government and not least her local opposition councillors during a dire period in Portimão’s history.
