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Wildlife
Conflict Over Municipal Council Members' Stipends

By Oliver Pérez

 

The Stipend is a compensation that is the right of a functionary, in this case of Municipal Council members. According to the Municipal Code a Council member is entitled to a stipend for attending a paid session of the Council of which he or she is a member.

Three members of Nicoya's Municipal Council are in a dispute with the Mayor's office because their stipends have been retained for the past month, according to Mayor Marco Jimenez.

The Mayor is awaiting a determination by the Attorney General of the Republic as to whether the payment of these stipends is proper. The three Council members are Juan Luis Aguirre Vidaurre, Rodolfo Orozco Orozco and Ana Lizeth Espinoza. They all work for the Ministry of Public Education and attend sessions during working hours. The work-day sessions take place on Mondays at 2 p.m.

Rodolfo Orozco, who works in the Belen de Nosarita High School, said that in his case, there is no problem with the Law against Corruption and Illicit Enrichment which some have cited as presenting a problem with these payments. "I already have made it known to the Mayor, the Attorney General and the Comptroller General, that I always make up the time that I utilize for Council meetings. In my case, I have an agreement with the Regional Directorate of Education that I make up the time, starting earlier and leaving after the normal schedule. So the Mayor doesn't have the right to retain my stipend," claimed Orozco.

Neither the Attorney General nor the Comptroller General has announced a decision in the case. However, if the Auditor determines that this group of stipends is in conflict with the Law of Corruption and Illicit Enrichment, all the stipends received during the administration elected in May of 2010, might have to be returned. As well, Council members who were wrongly paid could lose their credentials or be subject to a disciplinary sanction.

But Mayor Marco Jimenez has decided not to pay the stipends until the Attorney General has issued a decision. "Administrative jurisprudence exists that indicates the stipends can't be paid when council members intend to hold sessions during working hours," said Jimenez.

On the other hand, Council member Ana Lizeth Espinoza, on March 7, said that when they were elected and made the declaration of possessions to the Comptroller General of the Republic, the officials knew the Council members were public employees. Espinoza added that they are open to discussion and someone should have been called them aside to let them know what was happening.

"I have an arrangement with my boss and the time that I take off to attend the sessions, I make up in the Regional Directorate of Education," Espinoza said.

A Council member receives a payment of 36,000 colones ($72) per session, while a substitute gets 18,000 colones ($36); the syndic receives 18,000 colones ($36) and the substitute syndic is given 9,000 colones ($18). Council sessions are held six times per month.


 

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On Thursday, on May 26th, 2011 at noon, the Tsunami Alarm, located in Lot 111 of Section A, below Villa Mango, was tested with the purpose of finding out the aerial coverage of the alarm system. It was only heard at Pelada Beach.

Tourist Found Dead at Pelada Beach

On Sunday, May 22nd, 2011, Donald Bruce Altieri, 54, was found dead on his bed at Condominios Las Palmas of Pelada Beach. Altieri, from the United States was on vacation with his son, Daniel Bruce Altieri.

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Nosara's community leaders joined together to present a letter to the City of Nicoya asking that the municipality "bring in the equipment to make new trenches" in the dump in Nosara, which is subject to a March 22 closure order issued by the Ministry of Health.

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Ministry of Health Order Closing the Dump Could Bring Local Groups Together
Finding Solutions, Immediate and Long-term, is the Community's Challenge

Trash is not something pleasant to see, to smell or to talk about. Yet, it is certainly a reality of life. As human beings, the only creatures on earth to create inorganic trash, dealing with garbage is an inevitable reality for us. By May 10th, Nosara, a paradise to the visitors, will lose its only dump because of a decision taken by the Ministry of Health. According to the notification sent to the Nicoya municipality, the Nosara's dump "puts the public health at risk."

Attention Guiones and Pelada: Tsunami Alarm Will Be Tested in May

The Tsunami Alarm located in Lot 111 of Section A below Villa Mango, will be tested on May 26th, 2011 at noon. There are five sirens for different purposes: general, radioactivity, chemical, water and fire alarms. They will be tested in the same order they are listed.

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