"The regular budget of the Municipality of Ayia Napa for 650 is in deficit of 2014 thousand euros", said the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Giannis Karousos, while "the development budget also has a deficit of approximately 115 thousand euros".
As Mr. Karousos stated in KYPE, "the 2014 budget does not provide for increases in the fees of the Municipality". It provides, however, “reductions in staff salaries of about 6%, in the recruitment of temporary staff and in all the expenses of the Municipality for cultural events. "The only fund that will have an increase of 20% is that of the tourist promotion of Ayia Napa", he said.
With this action, he continued, "we want to send a message to the government that not only should programs that make money not be reduced, but instead should be increased. There were thoughts for the budget for the tourist promotion to increase more, however this will be included in the revised budget of the Municipality ".
Answering a relevant question, Mr. Karousos said that "the development budget for 2014 includes repairing sidewalks, upgrading the coastal front, various works on the north side of the Municipality of Ayia Napa such as. the replacement of the sidewalks with Karystos stone and the implementation of various monuments ".
Asked whether the reduction in the fund of cultural events will "damage" the Municipality of Ayia Napa, especially in the summer with the thousands of tourists flooding the area, Mr. Karousos replied that "since 2013 there have been reductions in this fund without reducing or affect the quality. This was done because we have found a different way of implementing our cultural events, that is, instead of coming out with expressions of interest for our proposals, we mention the amount we have and we wait for the proposals, as a result of which the costs are greatly reduced ".
Despite the fact, he continued that "this year we will seek further reduction of this fund, however all events that take place every year without any discount will take place normally. We simply give a different meaning to the costing and implementation of the cultural events that take place ".
He also said that this year will be sought to be sponsors for the events organized by the Municipality, in the sense that "there are various large companies that while making a lot of money from Ayia Napa, however do not offer anything back to the Municipality." For example, "there are companies in Ayia Napa that make about 20-30 thousand euros a day, but offer nothing back, neither in social content nor any financial support," he said, noting that we will make every effort for these companies to give, from what they bring out, something back in society.
Regarding the payment to the Water Development Department of the water bill of 12 million euros owed by the Municipality of Ayia Napa and not paid, the Mayor said that "last September the Municipality signed an agreement with the WDD which provides for the payment of a minimum amount 700 thousand euros per year, starting from 2014, until the debt of 12 million euros is repaid ".
As Mr. Karousos stated, "the Municipality will normally pay the water bills for 2012, 2013 and 2014 and depending on our finances, we may increase the amount of 700 thousand euros, in order for the amount owed to the WDD to repaid sooner '.