Meridanos question transparency unit in relation with public finances

MÉRIDA, Yucatan, March 31, 2023.- According to Pablo Loría Vázquez, director of the Transparency Unit of the Mérida City Hall, so far this administration has received more than 1,500 requests for information, most of which have to do with the municipality’s public finances.

The municipal official mentioned that Meridanos are more interested in the public works contracts signed by the municipality, if they have already been executed, if the company has already been paid, and others ask for information about works in progress, such as the case of 47th Street and the reason why the asphalt was destroyed.

“All the (contracts) that the Mérida City Hall celebrates are on the City Hall website. Then many citizens download those contracts and start asking if it has already been done, if it has already been paid. From there they want to know what is being done on 47th Street, so they are given an explanation, they are given information,” he explained.

He said that the Meridanos also ask when a new business opens, if they have an operating or construction license, something that helps to detect if they have the permits or not, and that is why when they pass by a closed place it is because they did not comply, but it is something that was detected thanks to the citizens.

Loría Vázquez pointed out that the municipality’s response time to requests for information is 10 days, but “when the information is very voluminous and has to be found, an extension of 10 days is requested, that is, the maximum response time to a request for information is 20 days”.

The municipal official pointed out that the 1,500 requests received during the current administration is a good number if we take into account that there are municipalities that do not ask questions, added to the fact that the State Government receives an average of 5,000 questions, but from all state agencies.

He commented that thanks to requests for information, they have also detected anomalies in certain places, observations that end up being channeled to the Direction of Governance and this gives notice to the corresponding authorities, such as the State Attorney General’s Office or the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP).

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