Although the Contraloría General de la República ordered that, starting July 1st, 2011, all income from district councils must go to the Municipalidades, elected representative, Marco Ávila, insists that Nosara must become an autonomous district that can manage itself.

The Contraloría’s decision is based on a ruling issued by the Sala IV in 2006, where it states that the Municipal District Councils (Consejos Municipales de Distrito) “have functional autonomy with the purpose of using basic management tools to function efficiently, with a certain degree of organizational freedom from the Municipalidad to which they are affiliated; however, they lack any other type of autonomy and legal personality and are subject to a subordinate relationship in budget, regulations and government matters”.

In an interview published by the VON in its January issue, Ávila stated that one of his main projects is for Nosara to have its own Municipal District Council.

These councils may be established if a town is located far away from the Municipalidad to which it belongs. Nosara is 60 kilometers (approximately 37 miles) away from Nicoya (out of which 30 kilometers must be traveled over a gravel road) and many of its residents have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Municipalidad’s response to common issues such as the garbage disposal and the area’s roads.

The Project is Not Cancelled.
When asked if the Contraloria’s decision changes his plans in any way, Ávila explained “We are going to wait and see how the existing Municipal Councils respond. If they ask for the council’s law to be changed in order to continue working as councils and are not successful, then we will move ahead to obtain our canton”.

However, Ávila added that doing this, which would mean that Nosara would be a new municipal canton, instead of a Council that belongs to Nicoya’s Municipalidad-, “is harder because we would have to negotiate with legislators from political parties opposed to Liberación Nacional. But if the Asamblea Legislativa approves it (the process of becoming a canton) it should go through quickly”.

On the other hand the head of the Ministerio de Descentralización, Juan Marín, has declared himself in favor of the resolution issued by the regulatory entity, explaining, “For now we must comply with it.” When asked about the possibility of Nosara becoming a canton, Marín answered “For 15 years we’ve had four other projects like this one at the Asamblea Legislativa and they’ve made no progress. It will be very difficult”.

According to Marín, in order for Nosara to establish a Municipal Council or become a canton, it will depend largely on the income that it generates. “If it has sufficient income to support the structure, then it becomes an important figure, even with this limitation (the Contraloria). Budget limits for any district are of approximately 500 million colones, since 30% of resources are needed just for investing in the administrative system and other public works. If this was not the case we would (just) have a bureaucratic organ that would not be of any benefit for the community”.

Nosara generates the second largest income in the canton, after Nicoya and before Sámara. The VON inquired as to the reported amount and percentage that were collected in 2009. The newspaper was told by staff at the Municipalidad that the information was unavailable.

Marco Ávila is taking a tough stance on the issue, insisting that for many years Nosara has been abandoned by Nicoya’s Municipalidad. “This decision makes no sense”. Ávila will have six years as representative to achieve his goal, whether it is to establish a Municipal District Council or to turn Nosara into a canton.

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