Palermo doubles mayor, councilors, and municipal advisers’ allowance: how much will they receive?

Last Updated: September 6, 2023

The doubling of allowances and attendance fees for local politicians has been approved. Municipal councilors, including presidents, as well as mayors and councilors, will receive a substantial increase in their emoluments thanks to the resolution approved this morning with 30 in favor and 4 abstentions. The mayor’s allowance (+96.62%) will grossly amount to €13,800. The councilors’ attendance fee will increase from €97.61 to €191.92 per session for a maximum of 22 sessions. The request had been made by the conference of group leaders based on the law. The metropolitan mayor’s function allowance is equivalent to that of the regional president, as regulated by the regional department for local autonomy. The deputy mayor will receive just over €10,000 per month, while the President of the Municipal Council will receive nearly €9,000, both gross of taxes. The resolution was approved in compliance with the budget balance, said Secretary-General Raimondo Liotta, and it was approved by the majority of those present at Sala Martorana, the temporary location while Palazzo delle Aquile undergoes restoration work. The decision is being contested by the Communist Refoundation. Secretary Ramon La Torre emphasizes that the session was only discussed in terms of legal and accounting legitimacy, without any political reflection or consideration of the opportunity to avoid taking this path at a time when austerity is being imposed on the city or when the Kalsa’s kindergarten closes its doors to 80 children in the neighborhood. Politics is absent, as it has been in other occasions that should have prompted strong reflections on planning matters.