INTRODUCTION

A small municipality has a limited entity for an efficient territorial management. A situation that is aggravated with increasing demand for more services by citizens. This means that these services are significally more expensive, (in case of the Serranía Region, it can even multiply until thirteen times the cost of municipalities’ infrastructure that integrate it).

It therefore requires the development of cooperation among the municipalities, with the aim of facing common problems in order to optimize the available resources.

THE BEGINNING OF THE MANCOMUNIDAD “LA SERRANÍA”

The Mancomunidad La Serranía, established in 1999, was created with the aim of improving the citizens’ services and to make the best use of all available resources. The Mancomunidad’s Articles of Association were approved on 23th March 1999, by the Presidency Department.

The President was elected during the setting-up of the Mancomunidad, celebrated on 26th September 1999. Mr. Juan Pedro Burgos Moreno (P.P.) was appointed to the Presidency by absolute majority.

The Mancomunidad started for indefinite duration, and the first municipalities members were: ALCUBLAS, ANDILLA, BUGARRA, CALLES, CHULILLA, GESTALGAR, HIGUERUELAS, LA YESA and VILLAR DEL ARZOBISPO. The Mancomunidad headquarters is located in this last one, Villar del Arzobispo.

Subsequently, PEDRALBA, SOT DE CHERA, LOSA DEL OBISPO and ALPUENTE were the next municipalities to become part of it.

Nowadays, the Mancomunidad La Serranía is comprised by 13 of the 18 municipalities, which make up the Serranía Region, with the only exception of Domeño and Loriguilla, that belong to Camp del Turia since 70s.

The large expanse and its more than 12 000 inhabitants turn this Mancomunidad into one of the most biggest expanse in the Region of Valencia.

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

The immediate provision of Municipial Solid Waste and the maintance of street lighting are some of the aims included in the Mancomunidad Articles of Association. Other services will increase as the Mancomunidad be consolidated and creating their own infraestructure such as: Social Services, Public Health Services, Cultural Services, education, sports, rural nursery school, maintenance of roads, touristic and economic development, environment, etc.