Villena unveils expansive budget of 35.8 million euros

Record municipal budget in Villena for 2025. The draft presented this Wednesday by the council outlines a 9.6% increase (5.6 million) compared to the previous year, reaching 35.8 million euros. The budget is expected to be approved at the extraordinary plenary session on April 15.

The Mayor of Villena, Fulgencio Cerdán, and the Finance Councillor, Juan José Olivares, have made the budget proposal public. "The increase over the last six years has been 43%, and if we look back over the last 10 years, the Town Hall's budget has grown by 63%," stated the Mayor, who also noted that the council currently holds 17 million in reserves, with a future forecast – according to the Finance Councillor – of another 20 million from construction licenses, mainly from photovoltaic plants.

Meanwhile, the Finance Councillor explained that the accounting imbalance experienced by the Town Hall "is resolved, and it was due to a delay in State revenues and the settlement of certain taxes linked to urban development activities."

The 2025 budget includes significant allocations in the expenditure chapter aimed at improving certain services and infrastructures. Specifically, among others, there is a forecast expenditure of 870,000 euros for street paving improvements; 1.49 million to increase street cleaning and improve waste collection services.

Additionally, the maintenance budget for Parks and Gardens increases by 55% with 569,000 euros. In the expenditure chapter, the Social Services department increases by 29%, allowing – among other things – the enhancement of services such as the Home Help Service.

Overall, Villena will have 5.6 million euros for investments, both from the 2024 allocations, whose works are completed in this first phase of 2025; and those to be executed at the expense of the Municipal Land Heritage (PMS); as well as those included in the investment annex of this year's budget.

In this regard, they amount to 2.93 million euros, an 11.4% increase compared to 2024. The most significant allocations are for the renovation of the Town Hall Palace (1.79 million) and those planned for the construction of a second sports hall (292,000 euros), a sports centre that adds another 72,000 for the lift for the old building.

In addition to these allocations, significant works on the Zaricejo and La Garita roads, amounting to 952,000 euros, 64,600 euros for the renovation of the Municipal Market, and initial allocations for the projects to adapt the future building for the Municipal Archive and the Municipal Band Rehearsal Room are included.