Casablanca’s commune council adopted the draft budget for 2018, which amounts to MAD 3.37 billion, a drop compared to the MAD 3.75 billion budget allocated for 2017.

During the council’s meeting held this Thursday, a number of bills relating to finance, urban planning, property, and conventions were approved.

Sixty-four elected representatives approved the municipal budget against 13 who opposed it.

Out of the 2018 budget, MAD 447 million will be allocated to public administration,MAD 322 million to social affairs, MAD1.4 billion to technical affairs and MAD 500 million to subsidies.

Board members reviewed the ongoing projects in Casablanca, proposing solutions to overcome the main challenges facing the city’s development.

During the meeting, the council approved bills related to the amendment and finalization of the communal fiscal decree and the reprogramming of financial allocations to the budget of the municipality for the year 2017.

The council also approved bills relating to the naming of the streets and public squares in the commune of Casablanca, the acquisition of land, and issues of public utility.

The chairman of the council, Abdelaziz El Omari, stressed that the “most important” aspect during the session was not the amount of the budget per se, but the choices made by economic, social, urban, environmental, and cultural advisers for investments.

The council followed the announcement of the bill with a presentation on the main actions and missions undertaken by the president of the commune council and the achievements made by the council in various fields during 2017.