Santo Domingo.– The precarious situation faced by numerous municipal districts in the country has once again generated concern among community leaders and local authorities, who assure that these demarcations continue to operate with very limited resources despite the promises of strengthening local governments made by President Luis Abinader.
According to statements made by communicator Luis Alberto Fernández, while the national political debate focuses on large infrastructure projects and millionaire investments, in many municipal districts basic problems persist such as the lack of equipment, reduced budgets, and low salaries for administrative staff.
The situation is particularly clear in rural communities in the province of María Trinidad Sánchez, where district boards are responsible for addressing the fundamental needs of the population, such as garbage collection, the maintenance of local roads, and the cleaning of public spaces.
Among the indicated districts are
Las Gordas, Arroyo Salado, San José de Matanzas and El Pozo, where local authorities must manage large territories with resources that barely suffice to cover basic operations.
Among the main limitations faced by these district boards are the lack of compacting trucks for solid waste management, a shortage of heavy equipment for the repair of rural roads, limited administrative infrastructure, and reduced salaries for employees.
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Faced with this reality, the Dominican Federation of Municipal Districts has warned that many local governments do not have the minimum resources necessary to operate efficiently. The entity has proposed that each municipal district receive at least 24 million pesos annually to guarantee its basic functioning.
Fernández points out that, paradoxically, municipal districts represent the level of government closest to the citizenry, especially in rural communities where these institutions constitute the first point of contact between the State and the population.
However, it ensures that these demarcations continue to be one of the weakest structures within the state apparatus, which limits its ability to respond to the needs of thousands of Dominicans.
The communicator warned that if the country aspires to strengthen territorial development and improve the quality of life in rural areas, the strengthening of municipal districts must become a priority within national public policy.
