BOLZANO. The resistance and threats of appeal had no effect. The regional council has decided: to elect the municipal councils and, in Bolzano and Trento, the district councils, we will go to the polls on May 4th, in a single voting day with the polls open from 7am to 10pm, a hour more than in previous elections. The possible run-off two weeks later, on May 18th, again from 7am to 10pm.
But the shadows have not disappeared completely. The mayor of Pergine Roberto Oss Emer had announced that he would wait for the decree calling the elections to evaluate an appeal. And again in Trentino, six mayors have asked the Council of Local Autonomies (Cal) to entrust a task to an expert jurist who clarifies how likely the possibility of successful appeals to administrative justice is, after the recent circular on elections in the other Italian regions with which the Interior Ministry has established that where due to the pandemic the vote was held in autumn 2020, the vote will be held in spring 2026. «Let’s see if the conditions will be met through the opinion of some lawyers who has already been contacted”, says Oss Emer today, “It is only a question of principle and equality with all other Italian citizens”. That is, the administrators in the regions with ordinary statute, where the Interior circular applies.
However, the decision on the increase in mayors’ allowances proposed by regional councilor Franz Locher was postponed to 30 December. «As far as I’m concerned, everything is clear. The opinion of the Trentino municipalities is missing”, explains Locher. Time is running out if the objective is to increase benefits starting from the next legislature: the legislation cannot be changed in the 75 days before the elections.
The municipalities to vote
The decree was signed by the President of the Region Arno Kompatscher. In Alto Adige, 111 out of 116 municipalities will go to the polls, in Trentino 157 out of 166. The electorates and voters of Bressanone, Laives, Lana, Castelrotto and La Valle will not re-elect the municipal councils (because they did so over the last year). .
There’s another date to mark on your calendar. In fact, Kompatscher’s decree also establishes the deadlines for submitting applications: the window will close on Tuesday 18 March at midday. For the parties it means that the next three months will be an obstacle race. To define the alliances, first of all, and the programs, and the people to nominate. Everyone is covered up for the mayoral candidates. Or perhaps they are simply found on the high seas. There is a widespread feeling that the investigation into business and politics has slowed down the work. The only safe one is the SVP, which will nominate Caramaschi’s current deputy Stephan Konder for mayor.
In the centre-left coalition (Democratic Party, Greens and Left of the Linke, TeamK, Caramaschi list, 5 Star Movement, Socialists) everyone seems intent on staying in the team. There is the possibility of widening the mesh: towards the left looking for the PRC and associations, towards the center (this is the hope of the Caramaschi list) involving the civic party Io sto con Bolzano. Which however has several paths ahead of it. One could be the construction of a hub with the Civica for Bolzano. But the latter is currently in dialogue with the centre-right of Fratelli d’Italia, Lega and Forza Italia, a centre-right which has never denied the possibility of expanding towards the center with Io sto con Bolzano.
The increase in allowances
According to Locher and the Council of Municipalities, the allowances, which have been on hold since 2005, must be adjusted to inflation. Therefore the next mayor of Bolzano could earn 13,611 euros per month, his deputy 10,208, the councilors 6,805 and the president of the city council 3,402 euros. These are gross figures, not too far from the current ones (13,312, 9,984, 6,656 and 3,328 euros respectively).
The real change would be seen by the administrators of the smaller municipalities, for which a 20% increase is proposed. For the mayors of the five South Tyrolean municipalities under 500 inhabitants (Ponte Gardena, Proves, Lauregno, Chienes and Anterivo) it would mean going from 2,210 euros gross per month to 2,652. Between 501 and 2 thousand inhabitants the increase would be 18.75%, up to 3 thousand inhabitants 15%, up to 5 thousand 12%, up to 10 thousand inhabitants it would be between 14% of Lagundo and 13.25% of Caldaro. Above 10 thousand inhabitants the percentage increases would be more contained: the idea is to increase the allowances in Lana and Appiano by up to 5.25%, by 3.75% in Brunico, Laives, Bressanone and Merano and by 2 .25% or less the allowances of the Bolzano council.
The regional council discussed it yesterday, with Cal’s commitment to evaluating the proposal. The South Tyrolean municipalities have proposed increases of 3 to 30%. A compromise was reached with an average increase of 11% which would bring public spending from the current 11.93 million euros to 13.945 million euros per year, for an increase of approximately 1.5 million euros. In Trentino, however, spending (today around 13 million euros) would rise by around 6 million euros.