Earlier today, CiF president Jaume Ferrer received Palma's councillor of the presidential cabinet, Marc Pons, in what was his first official visit to Formentera. At half ten in the plenary hall of the Council, the two were met by Mr Pons’ opposite number in Formentera — and local councillor of the tax office and rural affairs — Bartomeu Escandell, together with councillor of land management and tourism Alejandra Ferrer, councillor of education and patrimony Susana Labrador and director general of administration and external affairs, Margalida Font.

At the gathering, Council president Ferrer voiced his request that either the Govern Balear or the central government in Madrid assume responsibility of the Formentera-to-Eivissa waste transfer costs, «and not the people of Formentera themselves». Councillor Pons said payment of the costs falls within the remit of Madrid, but declared that, awaiting action by central government, «[the Govern] has no intention of turning a blind eye to this problem». According to Mr Pons, part of the 2016 budget has already been allocated to meet the waste transfer cost. While indicating that its own budgetary restrictions will prevent the administration in Palma from bearing the entirety of 2016 transfer costs – estimated at nearly 1m euros annually – , Mr Pons assured that it would happen during the current legislative session.

La Llei de Consells
Mr Ferrer also spoke to Mr Pons about a law known as la Llei de Consells (the island council law), requesting «the law’s text include mention of the unique case Formentera, whose administration is at once a consell (island council) and ajuntament (town council)» and enjoining recognition of the island's «singularity in this particular sense». Councillor Escandell pointed out that the current version of the law dates back to the year 2000, before the Formentera Council came into existence, in and of itself justification for such an update, Mr Escandell asserts. A revision of the text, he reasons, would lay the groundwork for proper treatment of Formentera in view of this circumstance.

Sant Ferran school
Construction of the Sant Ferran school will begin in 2016, indicated Mr Pons, who cited Palma's inclusion of a line item for the project in the administration's budget next year. In his words, «at this point we are only waiting to clear up technical points in order to move ahead with the call for bids from potential firms».

The transfer of authority respecting tourism promotions was another issue that received discussion. Pons ensured that awaiting resolution of the measure, the Govern will form ad hoc agreements with the island councils to fund promotional costs. Finally, CiF president Ferrer raised the issue of the need to dissolve the Formentera development consortium (CFd) in 2016 and resolve current problems with the staff of the Formentera local police.

The administrative litigation chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands (TSJIB) rejected an appeal that questioned the Formentera Council's handling of a 2013 request for bids at beachside concessions. The appeal took issue with the second court of Palma's decision to uphold a 14 June 2013 CiF plenary session accord not to grant concessionary rights for two lots (24 and 26) included in a call for bids for summer concessionaires for the 2013-2020 period.

As Àngel Navarro – general secretary of the Formentera Council – said, that decision, made by the second court of Palma 22 September of last year, can henceforth no longer be appealed. Explained the secretary: «The TSJIB dismissed the appeal of the second court of Palma's 15 December 2014 ruling (number 370), which found that the Council had acted correctly».

The president of the administrative litigation chamber, Fiol Gomila, who issued the sentence, indicated that the rejection of the bids for lots 24 and 26 were indeed founded. In Navarro's words, the CiF's decision was based on «the bidder's failure to demonstrate financial solvency» and the fact that «his offer was not the most profitable». Today's ruling establishes the correctness of action taken by the Formentera Council in its request for tender of the coastline lots and declares payment of legal costs «responsibility of the plaintiff».

«Ver el verso» is a culling of work by Ana Celada currently open to the public at the exhibition space of the Ajuntament de Sant Francesc. The series of acrylic compositions showcases the artist's two passions: painting and poetry. Ms Celada, who has called Formentera home for just under a year, finds her inspiration locally. Indeed, the protagonist in each of her four large format paintings is a familiar sight: a jellyfish. The exhibition will close on 24 October, but until then it can be visited Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 7:30 pm.

Formentera's councillor of town and country planning, Alejandra Ferrer, met today with her opposite number in the Govern Balear, Joan Boned, for a gathering that resulted in an agreement to use the former site of the Govern's Formentera delegation as a local office providing Formentera residents with assistance on housing. Staffed by both CiF and Govern employees, the office — whose ultimate structure will become clear between now and its 2016 opening — will counsel local Formenterencs on housing issues, Councillor Boned explained.

The two officials also discussed the possibility of creating a register in order to bring together homeseekers and property-owners. Another prospect envisioned is that the future housing office compile different government subsidies from both the local and regional administrations and in so doing — says Councillor Ferrer — «incentivise the decision to rent». An upcoming meeting of the Consell d'Entitats will serve to debate such issues.

Redrawing coastal boundaries
Mr Boned declared the new division of public and private land along Formentera's coastline to be «unacceptable» because «it runs counter to a previous consensus reached by the island as a whole». According to the Govern councillor, «private property which was lost under the contested coastal law should indeed be returned to its rightful owners, but protective measures along the coastline must remain in place». The Palma administration has assured it will study the issue to determine how it can intervene effectively.

Officials gather to tackle zoning
On his visit, Mr Boned will meet with members of the Formentera Council, the local ajuntament and other urbanism professionals and go over the Govern Balear's current plan for zoning regulations. The code of regulations — says Mr Boned — aims to consolidate and simplify the different mechanisms, concepts and parameters used by town councils when tackling zoning issues.