By Jesús Aguado
After Mayor Mauricio Trejo shared information that traffic lights did not belong to the city and that it was likely that the company Bercales Services S.A would withdraw them due to debts from the municipality, former mayor Luis Alberto Villarreal indicated that they are paid for and are owned by the residents of San Miguel de Allende.
In a letter dated September 22, the company Bercale Services, alerted the current mayor Mauricio Trejo that he owed ten months of rent, due on October 22, and if not paid, the company would withdraw them.
After taking the oath on October 9, Mayor Mauricio Trejo shared Bercales’ letter. In addition, in a statement on October 19, he clarified that if the company wanted to take the traffic lights, it was fine, but first he would negotiate with them so that they would allow his administration enough time to fix the roads. But he said that they would not buy or rent those traffic lights, of which there are more than 90, and they would not stay, because the municipality has a deficit of more than 180 million pesos, and he will not contract public debt.
Later, former mayor Luis Alberto Villarreal came to show various documents, in possession of Atención, showing that the company was hired for more than 51 million pesos to install the infrastructure, and once payment is completed in 27 monthly installments, the equipment and technology would be property of the city. Former Mayor Villarreal acknowledged that payment to the company was stopped for ten months by the treasury because the work was not delivered on time. “They were not working for a long time,” he stressed, and this led to the State Control Body charging a fine of more than five million pesos, which brought the cost to the city to 46 million. Later, the lights were valued by Semáforos de México at more than 76 million. He then clarified that the company was paid in full on September 28. Before going to press and after Villarreal’s statement, Atención tried to speak with Trejo to clarify then if the traffic lights company was paid in full or not, or if the traffic lights will stay or won’t; however, Mayor Trejo has not given any response yet.
