Mayors paid like magistrates, even if with a salary that must be parameterized to the number of inhabitants of the municipalities. This is the proposal signed by Matteo Salvini and deposited in Palazzo Madama, with the signatures of the senators of the League. Proposal announced several times by the leader of the League who, already at the beginning of the electoral campaign, underlined – like the other political forces – «the need to increase the remuneration for the first citizens. Salvini, in addition to wanting to pursue the goal of one million signatures on the referendum on justice (to achieve the purpose, according to a ‘lumbard’ source, he is also considering resorting to digital signatures, following the method used by those who are pushing the referendum on cannabis), asks for an amendment to article 82 of the consolidated text of the laws on the organization of local authorities ”. “The figure of the mayor – reads the premise of the bill – who once represented a sort of rewarding investiture, now combines responsibilities and sacrifices that few, if not very few, are ready to take on”. And therefore “in consideration of the excessive responsibilities attributed to the municipal administrator (statistical data show the huge gap between the high number of complaints of abuse of office – about 7,000 in recent years for which data is available, or the 2016 and 2017 – and the definitive sentences that do not reach 100, in the years considered), which do not see fair compensation even from an economic point of view, we are witnessing a progressive decrease in the number of citizens, with the skills and requisites necessary to play such an important role, that they aspire to become mayors ». The bill intends to “parameterize the measure of the function allowance due to the mayors to the overall maximum gross annual treatment of magistrates acting as section president of the Court of Cassation and equivalent, following a series of percentages based on the number of inhabitants of the municipalities “.
And here is the ‘table’: «in an amount equal to 75 per cent for the mayors of metropolitan cities; in an amount equal to 60 per cent for the mayors of municipalities with populations exceeding 250,000 inhabitants and up to 500,000 inhabitants; in an amount equal to 50 percent for the mayors of municipalities with populations exceeding 100,000 inhabitants and up to 250,000 inhabitants ». And again: «in an amount equal to 40 per cent for the mayors of municipalities with populations exceeding 50,000 inhabitants and up to 100,000 inhabitants; in an amount equal to 35 per cent for the mayors of municipalities with populations exceeding 30,000 inhabitants and up to 50,000 inhabitants ». Furthermore: «in an amount equal to 30 per cent for the mayors of municipalities with populations exceeding 10,000 inhabitants and up to 30,000 inhabitants; in an amount equal to 25 per cent for the mayors of municipalities with populations exceeding 5,000 inhabitants and up to 10,000 inhabitants ». Finally: «in an amount equal to 20 per cent for the mayors of municipalities with populations exceeding 3,000 inhabitants and up to 5,000 inhabitants; in an amount equal to 15 per cent for the mayors of municipalities with a population of up to 3,000 inhabitants ”. The proposal has only two articles. In the first, the scheme is explained according to the number of inhabitants of the municipalities. The second article reads: “By way of concurring to cover the greater burden incurred by the municipalities for the payment of indemnities as redefined in article 1 of this law, the fund referred to in article 57-quater, paragraph 2, of the decree -law 26 October 2019, n. 124, converted, with modifications, by the law of 19 December 2019, n. 157, increased by 43.6 million euros for the year 2021 and by 174.3 million euros annually starting from the year 2022, which is provided by means of a corresponding reduction in the Fund to meet non-deferrable needs that arise in the course of management, pursuant to article 1, paragraph 200, of law no. 190 “. A proposal to adjust the remuneration of the mayors was also presented by FI and the Democratic Party.