Montevideans Already Fund City Maintenance; National Party Asks Not to Charge Residents for Sidewalk Repairs

The Partido Nacional (PN) is challenging the Intendencia de Montevideo's (IMM) new sidewalk repair plan, arguing that residents are already shouldering the financial burden of maintaining the city. The current departmental norm places the responsibility and cost of sidewalk construction and maintenance squarely on property owners. However, Mayor Mario Bergara's administration seeks to recoup a significant portion of the investment for repairs in established neighborhoods through installment payments, while offering full subsidies for sidewalks in settlements.

“

Montevideans already finance the maintenance of the city through property contributions, general municipal fees, household taxes, and national taxes that feed transfers to departmental governments.

The PN's stance, articulated by Martín Lema, highlights a fundamental disagreement over municipal finance. They contend that residents already contribute through property taxes, general municipal fees, and national taxes that are transferred to departmental governments. To then impose specific charges for sidewalk repairs, which are essential for safe and accessible public spaces, is perceived as an unfair "double charge." This perspective resonates with citizens who feel they are consistently asked to pay more for basic services.

“

First, we collect taxes for living in Montevideo and, in theory, maintaining it, and then we charge again specifically to access safe and walkable sidewalks.

From the perspective of the PN, this issue is not just about finances but also about the IMM's priorities and its relationship with the citizenry. They argue that the IMM should fulfill its mandate of maintaining the city's infrastructure using the broad tax base it already collects. The proposal to seek external funding of $65 million for the initial phase, which would then be partially recovered from residents, is seen as a way to avoid accountability. The PN's call for the Intendencia to cover the entire cost reflects a desire for a more equitable distribution of municipal responsibilities and a rejection of what they see as an attempt to offload costs onto individual homeowners.

“

Of the 100% of sidewalks in Montevideo, we estimate that around 50% have some kind of problem or are not built and should be. Of those, we will address 25%, meaning approximately 25% would remain outside.