The Valka municipality this year became the only one facing financial difficulties that had to seek help from the government, writes Latvijas Avīze.
The projected low growth of the municipality's revenue will not cover the expenses related to the increase in the minimum wage and other tasks set by the government. The Minister of Smart Governance and Regional Development, Raimonds Čudars, stated in the media after his visit to the Valka region that he sees no grounds for allocating a state subsidy to the municipality and suggested that the smallest region in Latvia, Valka, with a population of less than 8,000, should possibly be merged with one of the neighboring regions.
On November 21, the leadership of the Valka region invited all members of the Saeima to visit the region to personally familiarize themselves with the municipality's problems, which the parties represented in the Saeima have shown little interest in so far. "Latvijas Avīze" reported in the summer of 2024 that no minister had visited the region in a year, while representatives of the authorities had visited the neighboring Valmiera and Smiltene regions multiple times.
The Chairman of the Valka District Council, Vents Armands Krauklis (Vidzeme Party), sent an appeal regarding the situation in the region to the media and all parliamentary factions. The Union of Greens and Farmers (UGF) responded to the request for help by proposing a one-time subsidy of 300,000 euros for the Valka region to be considered in the second reading of the budget. During negotiations on Wednesday, coalition partners were inclined to seek compromises and support the initiative if the Valka region cooperates with the government, reported the head of the UGF faction, Harijs Rokpelnis.
The projected revenue growth for the Valka region in 2026 is expected to be 89,000 euros, or 0.9%, while other municipalities are expected to see at least 4%. Expenses related to the increase in the minimum wage will significantly rise, requiring an additional 38,743 euros, while guaranteed minimum income benefits will need another 81,360 euros, and the social services basket will require 182,092 euros.
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