by Rod Hughes

As you jounce over roads that look as if they have been under heavy mortar bombardment, have you ever thought: “Does the municipal government spend a single colon for road repair?” The answer: Possibly not.

Every time you fill your vehicle with fuel, a portion of the tax goes into the Finance Ministry fund for road repair. Yet, the newspaper La Nación reveals that 22 municipal governments have not spent a single colon of their portion of the repair fund to fill potholes this year. While bureaucrats twiddle their thumbs and motorists curse, in other words, the National Treasury says enough money lies idle to construct 49 kilometers of brand new roadway. And these funds are not earning interest.

Some 28,500 kilometers of provincial streets and roads are eligible for these funds, representing 80% of the country’s road network. Of these, 11,000 kilometers are paved, the rest gravel or dirt roads.

However, what the La Nación article does not mention is that the government is sometimes loath to part with this nice little petty cash fund. Last year, the municipal government in Nicoya had to go to court to get the Central Government to let go of the Nicoya Peninsula canton’s portion, the Guanacaste monthly English-language magazine, The Howler, reported recently.

The various municipality mayors had varied explanations. Edgar Cambronero, mayor of Siquirres, which has the largest unused fund, said the canton had applied but the the Comptroller General’s office had only approved the investment in road repair last Monday. The most novel of the reasons given was that of La Union mayor Julio Rojas, who blamed the Finance Ministry bureaucracy. “In their records, they have our past mayor’s name,” he said disgustedly.

In order of the greatest amounts, the cantons are: Siquirres, Carillo, Pococí, Cartago, Turrubares, El Guarco, Jan Jose, Santa Barbara, Tarrazú, Tibás, Alajuela, Orotina, Moravia, Heredia, Garabito, Aguirre, Coronado, Palamares, La Unión, Santo Domingo, Montes de Oca and Oreamuno.

Not on the list: Nicoya. The central government has learned not to mess with them.