O município como ator de política pública: o consórcio como alternativa para lidar com os impactos causados pelo Comperj

Abstract

The purpose of the Associations of Municipalities, especially among the smaller ones, would be an alternative to deal with the problem of resource scarcity, caused by a lack of financial autonomy of municipalities. Although, with the democratic Constitution of 1988, the municipality has been elevated to the status of an autonomous federal entity. This reality did not come tied to the necessary financial autonomy, and it also lacks the scale for the provision of essential public services to local people. In this work, special emphasis is given to this question, especially considering the impacts caused by large industrial enterprises, such as Comperj (Petrochemical Complex of Rio de Janeiro) in Itaboraí, São Gonçalo, and neighboring towns. These municipalities, although they possess different characteristics, can achieve advantages if they work together, by better managing scarce resources and by providing public services that are able to serve its citizens. Confirming the importance of the association, whether in the form of metropolitan areas, micro areas, or even the municipal consortium, the main object of the present study, the recent Public Consortia Law (Law No. 11.107/2005) has highlighted the importance of using consortia, bringing more security to those who make use of them, with the support of state and federal governments. Municipalities affected by Comperj, realizing the importance of this joint effort, created the Conleste (City Consortium of East Fluminense) which already support the new law for this purpose, namely to deal with the impacts of this great enterprise, seeking to mitigate the negative effects and proposing solutions that are applicable to all, by planning and thinking ahead.