CRIM supports creation of fund for towns

By The Star Staff

Municipal Revenue Collections Center (CRIM by its acronym in Spanish) Executive Director Reinaldo Paniagua Látimer appeared before the Municipal Affairs Committee on Monday to discuss Senate Bill 566, which aims to establish an Essential Services and Fiscal Responsibility Fund.

In his presentation, the CRIM chief provided several recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the proposed bill, whose goal is to identify tools and resources for municipalities to help them continue delivering essential services amid the economic challenges they are currently facing.

After acknowledging the efforts of the bill’s main sponsor, Sen. José Santiago, the former mayor of Comerío and chairman of the Municipal Affairs Committee in the upper chamber, Paniagua Látimer noted that the CRIM agrees “on the necessity of allocating funds to compensate for the financial difficulties municipalities have experienced due to declines in fiscal transfers over the past few years, including the loss of the equalization fund and the exemption fund.”

“It is crucial to ensure that municipalities can operate effectively and provide services to their citizens, as they are the first line of service before the state government,” he said. “We must guarantee they can continue this vital role.”

The CRIM director added that he and other officials at the entity have analyzed the bill and made several supportive comments on its content, clarifying some technical details. Next week, they plan to provide further details requested by the Information Committee to enhance their recommendations. Paniagua Látimer anticipates that the bill will soon be brought to a vote and is optimistic about its approval in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“The key issue here is ensuring that these funds are negotiated properly so that they can be made available to the municipalities within the existing regulatory framework, which involves coordination with the Financial Oversight and Management Board,” he said. “I believe there is a good chance of success, and we will be monitoring the situation closely in the coming days.”