The presentation and processing of the accounts will take place this month, and the document already has the necessary support to move forward, although the overall figure cannot yet be specified. This forecast was already part of the calendar set for this fiscal year and does not respond to questions raised by the opposition in recent sessions.
The planned date to present and approve the 2026 budget was the May plenary session, whether Compromís asked about it or not.
In the ordinary plenary session in April, the spokesperson for Compromís again questioned the Finance Councilor about the status of the municipal accounts, emphasizing that since November they had been told the budget would be ready “the following month.” In recent weeks, the Compromís councilor has denounced what he considers “institutional blockage and absolute paralysis” due to the absence of a budget draft when the year has already passed its fifth month.
The Compromís councilor has questioned the mayor's management capacity and pointed to alleged discrepancies among local government partners as the cause of the delay. However, the municipal executive —formed by the Popular Party, Avant Albal-Decidix, and Vox— has avoided entering the political debate and merely reiterates that the approval calendar is being maintained, so the accounts will be submitted to the ordinary plenary session in May with all guaranteed support.
As of today, the council continues to operate with the extended accounts from 2025, a situation that has lasted for five months of the current fiscal year and has been a major focus of political debate in the municipality. That budget was approved in an extraordinary plenary session held in May last year, with nine votes in favor from the government team and seven against from the opposition. The 2025 accounts amounted to 13,392,460.47 euros, representing an increase of more than 7% compared to the previous year.
As the Finance Councilor defended at the time, that document was conditioned by the need to adapt municipal planning after the DANA of October 29 and by the priority of guaranteeing “the provision of quality public and social services.” Planned actions included works in Fontilles Park, La Florida Park, access to the Cercanías station, the reconstruction of the Justice of the Peace Court, the OMIC, and the Casa de la Cultura, as well as the rehabilitation of public roads and green areas.
In addition, fiscal measures were added to alleviate the economic burden on affected residents and businesses, with 1% reductions in IBI, bonuses on garbage fees, and construction taxes. The progressive refund of the Urban Real Estate Tax was also included, exceeding 552,000 euros in more than 1,500 files. These accounts, conceived in an exceptional context and also approved late, are now still in force while the 2026 document is being finalized.
The situation in Albal is not isolated in the Horta Sud region, one of the most affected by the flood of October 29, 2024. Several town councils still have their budgets extended or in negotiation. This is the case, for example, of the Torrent Town Council, while other municipalities affected by the DANA, such as Paiporta or Benetússer, have already approved their 2026 accounts with significant increases compared to previous years to address the consequences of the flood.
In fact, during 2025, many town councils in the 'ground zero' were forced to approve credit modifications to address other unforeseen needs. Therefore, the post-DANA context has marked the economic management of most municipalities in the region.
