Oscar Anton gives ‘thumbs up’ to Javea town’s finances

BUCKING the current trend of gloom and doom, Javea town hall has announced that their municipal accounts are not only healthy but show a cash surplus of €3.5 million.

This good news for Javea ratepayers is in direct contrast to current headlines that lead with the fact that the majority of town halls in Alicante province are suffocating under a mountain of debt, some owing more than €235million to service providers.

The main author of Javea’s success story is Deputy Mayor Oscar Anton, Councillor responsible for Finance, economy, employment and integration who has managed to turn an inherited debt of some €43 million into a financially stable situation.

The main bulk of the debt was attributed to what has become known as, ‘the great car park fiasco’ in which the previous government agreed a contract to build three underground car parks at a cost of €17 million, but ended up with a bill for €20 million and only two car parks.

During the last nine months, working closely with Mayor Jose Chulvi and the cooperation of all parties, Oscar’s department has not only managed to balance the books to an acceptable level, but has also reduced council tax payments (IBI) by 6%, settled 91 outstanding debts to suppliers and as a bonus, returned an unused bank loan of €3,167,746.03.

In an exclusive interview, Oscar told the EWN that he was particularly pleased that Javea has not been forced to apply for Central government’s bail-out plan and that although the balance sheet will still show a debt of 14 million euros, between May 2011 and December 2012; Javea had reduced their outstanding debts by €11,427,241.55.

“My target during our four year term of office is to reduce the municipal debt by half and eventually hand over a financially sound and solvent Town Hall.”

EWN Exclusive By Benny Davis