Fifteen Costa Rican municipalities obtained a bad score after the assessment of their management. Nearly 50 were able to barely make it, and only 18 got positive feedback.
This was determined by the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) in the Municipal Management Index for 2017, which is prepared based on data provided by the municipalities.
The score given to the municipalities is based on 61 indicators related to five axes: development and institutional management; planning, citizen participation and accountability; the management of environmental development; the management of economic services (road management), and the management of social services.
So what are the biggest challenges facing municipalities? According to the study of the Comptroller’s Office, community services: cleanliness of roads and public places; parks and ornamental works, and deposit and waste treatment are the most challenging areas.
The highest rating in Group A was obtained by the Municipality of San Carlos (88.50); in Group B the Municipality of San Rafael (83.68); in Group C the Municipality of Flores (79.64) and in Group D the Municipality of Valverde Vega (73.86). On the contrary, the lower scores in each group are associated with the municipalities of Santa Cruz (53.85) in Group A, Santa Bárbara (46.35) in Group B, Guatuso (34.71), in Group C and Los Chiles (34.68) in Group D,”
says the comptroller’s report.
One of the most negative aspects is that there are 12 municipalities that have always received red scores below 50 for six years. Most of them are located in groups C and D, which means that they are associated with lower budgetary conditions, cantonal human development, greater territory to be managed, and a larger number of homes.
Additional efforts are required to comply with the legal and technical requirements included in the IGM evaluation; and they possibly require the support and advice of other State institutions, such as the Institute for Municipal Development and Advisory (IFAM), National Union of Local Governments (UNGL) and the Municipal Federations themselves, according to their roles and competencies.