Montevideo Mayor Bergara reviews first year, highlights deficit reduction and cleaning system overhaul

Montevideo Mayor Mario Bergara marked his first year in office by presenting a comprehensive review of his administration's achievements and future plans to the Departmental Council. A central focus of his report was the drastic reduction of the city's operational deficit.

Bergara announced that the deficit decreased from 3.64 billion Uruguayan pesos in 2024, the final full year of the previous administration, to 593 million pesos in the first half of 2025. He emphasized that these fiscal measures were "essential" to enable future progress in public works, services, and urban transformation.

During his address, Bergara also touched upon the recently signed collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Municipal Employees and Workers (Adeom). He noted that while reaching an agreement was not strictly "essential," it provides clear "rules of the game" for labor relations, fostering a better working environment.

The mayor highlighted institutional reforms within the intendancy, particularly the strengthening of departments like Rural Development and Institutional Coordination. The latter, led by Justo Onandi, played a crucial role in negotiating with the opposition to secure votes for borrowing initiatives related to cleaning, sanitation, and infrastructure projects.

Bergara championed the comprehensive overhaul of the city's cleaning system. He explained that public dumpsters, once a solution, are now part of the problem. The city is transitioning to an intradomiciliary or intrapredial container system, with over 40,000 households already equipped and a goal to reach 500,000 households while removing over 7,000 street containers. He also aims to increase sanitation coverage from the current 92% to over 96% and views the national government's metropolitan transport reform as the most significant advancement in mobility in decades. Other initiatives include nighttime paving work and traffic light optimization.