Former deputy and president of the Opción Democrática party, José Horacio Rodríguez, has raised an alarm over a proposed legislative amendment to Article 21 of Law 176-07, which governs the National District and Municipalities. Rodríguez characterized the bill as a “deeply concerning” move that favors impunity over institutional strengthening.
He argues that the current law maintains a strict cap on payroll spending to ensure municipal resources are dedicated to public works rather than bureaucracy. However, the new proposal seeks to merge these categories, potentially allowing up to 70% of a city’s budget to be allocated toward payroll.
“Nothing would prevent the majority of municipal budgets from being diverted to personnel payments, at the expense of the infrastructure and services that communities actually need,” Rodríguez stated.
The former legislator also took aim at the recurring political trend of creating new municipalities every four years. He argued that these actions are often driven by “electoral interests,” using local government budgets as tools for political campaigning.
“When the law tries to contain these types of practices, the response is to eliminate or weaken it,” Rodríguez denounced.
One of the most critical warnings issued by Rodríguez involves the legal classification of financial misconduct. He alerted that actions currently considered misappropriation of funds—such as diverting investment capital to cover administrative salaries—would be downgraded to simple “administrative faults” under the new bill.
“They are reducing the severity of sanctions and dismantling a solid regime of consequences,” Rodríguez emphasized. “The penalties practically disappear, representing a massive step backward for transparency.”
Rodriguez called for greater public oversight, warning that the law’s passage would lead to a decline in the quality of local governance
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CDN
14 January 2026