The Balearics audit commission has requested eight town halls in Majorca to release their 2017 accounts. Non-compliance with this can result in fines.
This is the third demand that the commission has made. By mid-October last year, the deadline for forwarding accounts, Alaro, Estellencs, Fornalutx, Mancor de la Vall, Petra, Puigpunyent, Sant Joan and Sineu town halls had failed to do so. The commission is still waiting.
The town halls attribute this to a personnel issue at the Council of Majorca. Most of them rely on the Council to do the work for them, but the member of staff at the Council who takes care of their accounts was absent on extended sick leave.
In Sineu, the finance councillor says that the 2017 accounts were approved at a recent council meeting and that the commission has been informed of this. Petra's mayor, Marti Sansaloni, is making assurances that the documentation is being processed. It has to go to public consultation before approval at a council meeting and forwarding to the commission. A council meeting in Alaro two weeks ago approved the accounts and they are now for consultation, which lasts thirty days.
This is not the first time that there have been delays with the submission of accounts by town halls in smaller municipalities. Fines for non-compliance and failure to meet deadlines are up to 900 euros. The fines are in theory levied on mayors.
The commission has, meanwhile, sent out reminders to all town halls that it expects the first report for the 2018 accounts by the start of June. After this, there is time for public consultation, approval by council meetings and the sending to the commission by mid-October at the latest.