Education, economic development and defending the forest against fires are the main priorities of the Monchique City Council for 2026, in a year in which the municipality will have a budget of 25.9 million euros, revealed the mayor’s president.
The budget and the Major Options of the Plan for 2026 were approved by a majority at the Municipal Assembly, in December, with votes in favor from the PS, votes against from two elected representatives from the PSD and abstentions from deputies from the CDS-PP and Chega.
The budget document amounts to 25,992,269 euros, representing an increase of more than one million euros compared to the previous year’s budget, which was set at 24,989,896 euros.
Investment in education in the order of three million euros
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the mayor of Monchique, Paulo Alves, highlighted the investment in education, in the order of three million euros, highlighting the requalification of the EB 2/3 Manuel do Nascimento School as one of the priority interventions.
“Support for students is also included, with the provision of free textbooks and school transport, as well as the awarding of scholarships to higher education students”, he noted.
Civil Protection and forest defense against fires are other priorities
Civil Protection and the defense of the forest against fires is another of the council’s priorities for this year, where “an investment of more than three million euros is planned, which includes the acquisition of vehicles and equipment”, said the mayor.
According to Paulo Alves, the municipality “also prioritizes economic development”, with the construction of the business park, a complex “essential for grouping and retaining investors”, with the work being 60% financed by community funds from the Portugal 2030 Program.
“It is an infrastructure that has been designed and awaited for a long time, and is essential for attracting investors and for the development of Monchique’s economy”, he pointed out.
According to the mayor, the budget “is realistic and financially rigorous and guarantees the necessary and decisive investments for the future”.
With regard to taxes, the will maintain the rate of 2.5% for IRS (Personal Income Tax), 0.3% for IMI for urban buildings, with a “fixed deduction of 30 euros” for families with one dependent, a value that rises to 70 euros for households with two dependents and to 140 euros, if the family has three or more dependents.
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