Central Corfu Municipality insists on increased municipal taxes

The selection of a contractor for the construction of the waste processing plant is seen as a prime opportunity for the strategic communication of the issue. As a result, Regional Governor Yiannis Trepeklis is invited to tonight’s session of the Central Corfu Municipal Council, where he is expected to reiterate the good news and add another update: the certification of the Waste Management Organisation (FODSA) under his presidency, enabling it to proceed with the necessary agreements with the contractor consortium (TERNA – Mesogeios).

In recent evaluations, the Ionian Islands FODSA had received a negative assessment and was not certified. However, when the agency’s leadership was recently asked about this by Enimerosi, they did not appear concerned. This will be confirmed today with the arrival in Corfu of the Vice President of the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy, and Water (RAAEY), Professor Arabosis. According to well-informed sources, as a representative of the authority, he is expected to inform local administrative officials that FODSA will indeed receive certification. Professor Arabosis, who heads the waste management sector, will also meet on Wednesday with the mayor, Stefanos Poulimenos.

Meanwhile, the Central Corfu Municipality is pushing back in an effort to draft its 2025 budget, which was thrown into turmoil by the decision of the Committee under Article 152, which opposed the increase in municipal taxes. The Central Corfu Municipality is filing precautionary measures with the Council of State, requesting that the suspension of the municipal council’s decision on taxes not take effect and that the tax increase be implemented until the case is ultimately heard—whenever that may be—by the highest administrative court. It is expected that a ruling on the precautionary measures will be issued within ten days at most. If the ruling aligns with the municipal authority’s expectations, the 2025 budget will then be submitted for discussion and approval at a municipal council session.

At this point, it remains unclear how institutional stakeholders who met with Mayor Poulimenos and agreed on a three-step plan for the taxes will react if the tax levels revert to those set by the contested, recent decision of the central municipal council.

GIORGOS KATSAITIS