Twenty-two yes votes, 11 no votes, and one abstention: the Cagliari City Council approved the €533 million (so far) budget for 2026-2028. The provisional budget option was thwarted after long and drawn-out negotiations with the opposition, who played every card in their power to secure as many of their demands as possible.
Mayor Massimo Zedda is pleased: "The amount will increase because we are awaiting approval of the national and regional stability laws," he explains. "Our financial autonomy has increased over the years compared to transfers, which have been declining," the mayor emphasizes, "but this year we paid off the debt from the early 2000s, and next year we will have no outstanding debts. A truly unique case in Italy."
The IMU (municipal property tax), TARI (waste tax), and other taxes "will remain the same," Zedda assures, listing some of the funded projects: "Maintenance, decorum, culture, education, public parks, innovation." The available funds are earmarked for hiring staff.
Additional resources will be allocated to social services, public safety and order, sport, and development, to build a more inclusive future with greater opportunities for all.
"We are voting against this budget because it is too rigid and inadequate to the city's needs: it keeps the accounts in order, but fails to address the daily concerns of citizens," attacks Roberto Mura from the opposition. "With the approval of the budget, the Municipality has taken an important step," argues Alessio Alias (Progressisti), "enabling the administration to launch planned investments and make government action fully operational."
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)