The Municipal Council of the District of Bocas del Toro approved Agreement No. 022-2026 on October 15, 2026, published in Official Gazette No. 30640-A on October 22, 2026. The measure amends article 11 of Agreement No. 03-2026 of January 28, 2026, which approved the municipality's revenue and expenditure, operating and investment budget for fiscal year 2026, and repeals Agreement No. 009-2026 of March 27, 2026.

Its recitals cite article 112-G of Law 37 of 2009, as amended by Law 66 of 2015, under which works funded with property tax transfers must be included in an annual works and investment plan approved by municipal agreement and submitted by the mayor. Article 1 of the agreement replaces the list of works in article 11 with a new one, organized by budget year and township. Under article 3, the rest of the 2026 budget remains unchanged.

For the 2024 budget year, the list includes eight projects worth US$330,000, among them improvements to the schools in Boca del Drago and Bahía Honda, the rural water system in Popa 1 and the water system in Valle Escondido. The 2025 budget year adds five projects worth US$371,250, almost all for drinking water: rural water systems in Bahía Grande, Boca del Drago, Cayo de Agua and Aguacate, plus the Bocatorito dock. The 2026 budget year brings together ten projects worth US$371,250, including docks in Bastimentos and San Cristóbal, a recreation center for older adults, a special education classroom and a secondary school gymnasium. The agreement also reallocates US$182,961.60 originally assigned to works from previous budget years to new purposes.

The three budget years add up to US$1,072,500 in local works. For contractors and suppliers in the province, the list signals municipal demand for water system work, community docks, sidewalks and school improvements, projects that in island areas tend to depend on maritime logistics and local firms. For residents of rural townships, the focus on drinking water could translate into better service if the projects are carried out.

The agreement does not by itself guarantee that execution. Its article 4 orders that it be sent to the Office of the Comptroller General and the National Decentralization Authority, and its article 5 provides that it takes effect upon promulgation. The works still require public procurement, actual availability of the transfers and the corresponding fiscal oversight.

Nexo Capital will follow the procurement and execution of these works.

Research assisted by Sentinel, with editorial verification of official sources. Discover Legislat.ai