Mollerussa definitively approves the Citizen Participation Regulation with 78 articles

The Mollerussa City Council has definitively approved the Citizen Participation Regulations, the rule that organizes the channels, mechanisms, and bodies of neighborhood participation in the municipality. The Official Gazette of the Province of Lleida published the definitive approval in issue 193, dated October 9, 2026 (edict 8407, pp. 1-37, official reference BOP-2026_0_193_8407). The text, signed by Mayor Marc Solsona Aixalà on October 7, 2026, will enter into force once it is published in full in the gazette and the legally established period has elapsed.

The Corporate Plenary initially approved the Regulations on July 30, 2026. The file was published in BOP no. 156, dated August 17, 2026, on the City Council’s notice board and on the municipal web portal, without any allegations or claims being submitted, which led to the definitive approval.

The text is based on the Strategic Plan for Citizen Participation 2026-2030 and is organic in nature. It is structured into four titles and 78 articles: general provisions; participation instruments and mechanisms; promotion of a participatory culture and associationism; and the system of guarantees. Political parties and entities linked to them are excluded from the participatory mechanisms regulated by the rule.

City Council, sectoral councils, and forums

The City Council is defined as the highest permanent body of municipal participation, of a consultative and deliberative nature, with functions of information, study, debate, and advisory on the broad lines of municipal policy. Its decisions are not binding, although the City Council must evaluate and provide a reasoned response to its proposals.

Sectoral councils are the permanent bodies that channel citizen initiatives and concerns in specific areas of interest to the city. The following are recognized as singular sectoral councils:

• The Children’s Participation Council
• The Adolescent Participation Council
• The Senior Participation Council

The Forum of Sectoral Councils coordinates these spaces, with mandates of two years extendable to four and a minimum of one annual meeting. The regulation also governs participatory processes, citizen forums, popular consultations, and the procedure for entities to intervene in the Municipal Plenary.

Citizen initiatives: from 200 to 400 signatures

Citizen initiatives may propose a motion, a participatory process, a citizen forum, the creation of a participation body, a popular consultation, or the approval of municipal regulations. They may be signed by people registered in Mollerussa from sixteen years of age, with the following minimums:

• 200 signatures for a citizen motion, a participatory process, a citizen forum, a participation body, or a non-referendum consultation of a sectoral nature
• 400 signatures to propose the approval of municipal provisions of a general nature
• 1,000 inhabitants plus 10% of those exceeding 5,000, for a popular consultation by way of referendum

The City Council must communicate the admission for processing within a maximum period of 60 days, extendable for up to two more months for justified reasons. Once the valid signatures have been verified, the call for a participatory process must be agreed upon within a maximum of three months, while the call for a citizen forum or the response regarding the creation of a participation body are resolved within 30 days.

Guarantees, registry of entities, and entry into force

Title IV creates the Guarantees Commission, a consultative body responsible for promoting the actions of the Regulation, monitoring them, and evaluating their implementation. Any person who considers their participation rights to have been violated may submit a written complaint; the Commission issues a report with the established facts and, if appropriate, a specific recommendation to the City Council.

The Municipal Registry of Entities and Associations is open to non-profit associations with a registered office or delegation in Mollerussa. The registration is resolved within a maximum period of one month, and the deadline to correct deficiencies is 15 business days; entities that are inactive for two years may be deregistered ex officio. The third additional provision provides for the preparation of a practical guide for citizen participation.

The Regulation provides regulatory coverage for a vibrant associative fabric and establishes for the first time a regulated procedure for neighborhood initiatives, with specific signature thresholds and deadlines. For the entities and citizens of Mollerussa, this means formal channels to influence municipal policies and a means of complaint before the Guarantees Commission.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Lleida, no. 193, October 9, 2026, Local Administration - City Councils, pp. 1-37 (official reference: BOP-2026_0_193_8407).