At Thursday's council meeting in Alcudia, approval was given to increase the salary of the new mayor, Domingo Bonnín, to 56,000 euros a year. While there was approval, there was also criticism from opposition parties.
Bonnín of El Pi became mayor a month ago. This was under an agreement for coalition government of the town hall. Barbara Rebassa of PSOE stepped down with a year remaining of the current administration. She, as had been the case with her predecessor, Toni Mir (El Pi), did not have so-called exclusive dedication, meaning that her salary was only a percentage of what it could have been - 42,000 euros.
This has now gone up to 56,000, Bonnín explaining that it was "not about an increase but about defining the salary that a mayor of a municipality like Alcudia should have". "It has to be an adequate, decent salary and one that the first representative of a municipality with a budget of 33 million euros merits." He added that there had been an adjustment in line with salaries for mayors of municipalities with "similar characteristics" - Campos, Inca, Manacor, Pollensa. The rate, he said, will be fixed for future mayors.
Spokesperson for the Partido Popular opposition, Fina Linares, said that there would be "indignation" among Alcudia citizens. She observed that Coloma Terrassa of the PP was the most recent mayor to have had "exclusive dedication" and to therefore draw the maximum salary. Between 2011 and 2015, which was when Terrassa was mayor, this had been 42,000 euros. Even adjusting for inflation, she noted, 14,000 euros more were too much.
Linares went on: "This administration manages a budget of 33 million euros but has 103 million euros of budget surplus that have not been used to make investments over the past three years. Yet for the mayor's salary increase, there has been diligence."