Palas de Rei approves the general ordinance regulating public prices

The City Council of Palas de Rei already has a general ordinance regulating the establishment, fixing, management, and collection of municipal public prices. The full text was published in BOP Lugo nº 214, dated September 18, 2026, under reference R. 2458, after the Plenary definitively approved the regulation without claims or suggestions. The ordinance comes into force once published in the Official Provincial Gazette and will remain in effect as long as its modification or repeal is not agreed upon.

The City Council Plenary provisionally approved the ordinance on June 30, 2026, and the public information announcement was inserted in BOP Lugo nº 167, dated July 23, 2026, to facilitate access to the file and the submission of allegations. As no claims were registered, and in accordance with article 49 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, the provisional agreement was understood to be definitively adopted. The mayor, Pablo José Taboada Camoira, signed the text in Palas de Rei on September 11, 2026.

The regulation is developed under article 41 of Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004, of March 5, which approves the revised text of the Law Regulating Local Treasuries, and consists of eleven articles, one additional provision, and one final provision. On the same date, the City Council also published the fiscal ordinance for the tax on urban planning licenses and prior communications (R. 2459).

What are public prices and who must pay them

The ordinance defines public prices as the pecuniary considerations paid for the provision of services or the performance of activities under a public law regime when, although also provided by the private sector, they are voluntarily requested by the administered parties. The regulation is directly applicable to all municipal public prices and is considered an integral part of the regulation of each one of them.

Persons who benefit from the corresponding services or activities are obliged to pay. The obligation arises when the provision of the service or the performance of the activity begins, although the City Council may require the prior deposit of the total or partial amount, and also when a public service is used without prior authorization. The payment for an unauthorized service does not legalize the use and is compatible with the suspension of the provision and any corresponding sanctions.

Who sets the rates and within what limits

The establishment or modification of public prices corresponds to the City Council Plenary, without prejudice to the delegation to the Local Government Board provided for in article 23.2.b) of Law 7/1985. The agreements are published in full in the BOP, and the complete text is made public on the municipal electronic office. Where legally applicable, Value Added Tax will be charged on the approved rate, and any variation in the rate will be applied automatically from its effective date.

The economic criteria established by the ordinance are as follows:

• The amount of public prices must cover, at a minimum, the cost of the service provided or the activity carried out.
• For social, charitable, cultural, or public interest reasons, prices may be set below cost, recording the allocations to cover the difference in the budgets.
• Tariffs may be graduated, including the lack of economic capacity of the obligated party, and in justified cases, the provision may be free of charge.
• Every proposal for establishment or modification must be accompanied by an economic and financial report justifying the amount and the degree of cost coverage.

Management, collection, and enforcement

Management may be carried out under a self-assessment regime, and the City Council may require users to provide the declarations or data contributions necessary to determine the actual degree of service utilization, as well as carry out verifications. If the service is not provided for reasons not attributable to the person obligated to pay, the amount must be refunded.

In case of non-payment, the City Council may demand the overdue installments along with surcharges and late payment interest, and possesses the prerogatives legally recognized for the State Treasury. Debts from public prices may be demanded through the administrative enforcement procedure: the executive period begins the day following the end of the voluntary payment period, and the enforcement process begins with the issuance of the corresponding order. The ordinance also provides for collaboration agreements with entities and organizations representing the taxpayers to simplify formal obligations and settlement or collection procedures.

The municipal management areas shall ordinarily propose the establishment or modification of prices to the mayor during the preparation of the Budget, who will analyze the proposals and submit them to the competent body. Proposals are also accepted throughout the fiscal year when new municipal services or activities financed by public prices are implemented. The additional provision delegates the establishment and modification of prices to the Local Government Board, providing an express report to the Plenary.

The regulation provides legal coverage for a matter that until now lacked general regulation in the municipality and directly affects any resident who uses municipal services of voluntary request. From now on, tariffs must be justified with an economic report, published in full in the BOP and on the electronic office, and non-payment will enable the enforcement process with surcharges and late payment interest.

Source: BOP Lugo, nº 214, of September 18, 2026, section I (City Council of Palas de Rei), official reference: R. 2458.