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A message from the mayor after the turn of the month

I have decided to make it a regular feature to put together a few words at the end of each month to report on interesting projects underway within the municipality and to share the highs and lows of the month's challenges, ideas, visits and meetings. There is much to report, but with this I want to better inform residents and other stakeholders about the progress of matters and plans within the municipality.  

We must now assume that summer has arrived, or at least that it's just around the corner. It's become bright and beautiful outside, even though the temperature is a bit slow to arrive. We at Hafnarfjörður council got a relatively early start on our spring work this year, beginning to sweep the streets and pavements just before mid-April. At the beginning of May, we also collected garden waste from residents, in addition to encouraging businesses to use the skips for disposal that were set up in three locations around the town. It is pleasing to see how well residents and businesses responded and took full part in cleaning up their local area. It is particularly pleasing to see neighbourhood associations coming together to organise a clean-up day in their area, with the aim of cleaning and beautifying the surroundings, raising more awareness of the importance of taking good care of them, and, not least, strengthening the sense of community and spirit within the neighbourhood. Such connection and cooperation makes each neighbourhood both stronger and richer in so many respects.
It has been an eventful month for the City of Hafnarfjörður, full of culture, arts and harvest festivals within schools and institutions, alongside sports and other entertainment. We welcomed summer and said goodbye to winter at Björtir dagar, which was held from 19th to 23rd April. During these days, a variety of events and entertainment were on offer throughout the town; The HEIMA festival – the music festival held in private homes in Hafnarfjörður, nursery school art, exhibitions in the town's museums, open studios for artists, the presentation of cultural grants, major concerts in the Sports Hall, a cross-country run and entertainment programme at Víðistaðatún, and the list goes on. The Artist of the City of Hafnarfjörður was reappointed after a break in the appointments, and the Culture and Tourism Committee decided that visual artist Steingrímur Eyfjörð should receive the title this year. It is particularly pleasing to see this project get under way again in the artistic and cultural town of Hafnarfjörður. We received every kind of weather as a summer gift, but we didn't let that put us off and the events were well attended. Culture Days in Hafnarfjörður's primary schools have different names and various focuses, but they all share the common theme of being a harvest festival for creative work and fun within the schools. During these days, joy shines from every face, whether it's pupils or teachers, and also from the parents who proudly look on. It is safe to say that school life in Hafnarfjörður, at all levels, is at once educational, inspiring and creative, and teachers and school administrators are unafraid to take unconventional paths in their work. Since the City of Hafnarfjörður adopted a new internal communication platform based on Facebook's features, the visibility of the work has become much greater, and the experience is that the City of Hafnarfjörður is truly one workplace with almost 1,000 employees.800 employees at over 70 locations, carrying out a wide variety of tasks. Every day, staff post photos from their work and of the activities, helping to create the corporate culture and sense of togetherness that we also want to achieve and feel in large workplaces. 
The results of the annual accounts for the City of Hafnarfjörður were made public on 11th April, when the accounts were presented to the town council. A complete turnaround has occurred in the operations of the City of Hafnarfjörður, and we have finally come under the 150% debt ratio, thereby escaping the supervision of the financial supervisory board for municipalities. The municipality's operating result is a positive 538 million króna, whereas the 2015 annual report showed a negative operating result of 512 million. We all deserve a pat on the back for this good result, the employees of the City of Hafnarfjörður and those who live and work in the community. Improved economic conditions have, of course, had some effect on last year's results, but so too has a changed prioritisation of projects and streamlining following an operational review in 2015. It takes time for measures to yield results, and now we are reaping the rewards. We need to continue to manage things well and to map out and prioritise measures and projects in line with needs. The uncertainty here is the increased pension liabilities that are set to be imposed on the country's municipalities, and this measure will have a significant impact on the finances and the projects that will be possible to undertake.   
I'll leave it at that for now and send you all warm summer greetings!   
Attached is an overview of the news for April, and my aim is to compile such an overview at the end of each month for all our information: 

• Servant leadership implemented in work with disabled and elderly people – most staff working in the homes of disabled people, workplaces, short-break accommodation for disabled people, and staff of the Hafnarfjörður home care service have now received training in Attendant Care. The implementation of the philosophy is underway at all these workplaces.
• Friendly dragon at the Dragon's Lair – a giant friendship dragon snaked its way around Dragon Field in Hafnarfjörður, and the dragon was made up of nearly 1,200 pupils, nursery children and staff from Hraunvallaskóli. The Friendship Dragon was the culmination of the Hraunvallar Games, a set of games that bring together pupils of all ages and have the good purpose of fostering communication and a positive school spirit. 
• Do you rent on the open market? Residents on the general rental market in Hafnarfjörður may be entitled to special housing support from the municipality of Hafnarfjörður. Check your eligibility and apply online at hafnarfjordur.is – MY PAGES. You apply for housing benefits with Vinnumálastofnun at husbot.is, as the right to special housing support is linked to the right to general housing benefits. Special housing support can amount to up to 70% of the general housing benefits. 
• Health promotion for older people The Family Council of Hafnarfjörður municipality invited Janus Friðrik Guðlaugsson, a sports and health expert, to its meeting, where he presented ideas on multifaceted health promotion and ways to achieve a successful later life. Health promotion seeks to enhance health by creating conditions and an environment that enable individuals and society to increase their fitness and to strengthen their awareness and will to maintain their health. 
• A milestone in the finances of the City of Hafnarfjörður – the debt ratio of Hafnarfjörður municipality has not been lower since 1992 and no new loans were taken out in 2016, despite investments, including in a new nursery school. The council's operating result is a positive 538 million króna, whereas the 2015 annual report showed a negative operating result of 512 million króna. The re-prioritisation and cost-cutting measures following the 2015 operational review are delivering the expected results, marking a turning point in the operations of the City of Hafnarfjörður. 
• We invite you to Hafnarfjörður We invited HEIM to Hafnarfjörður for the first town festival of the summer. Bright Days took place from 19th to 23rd April, where the town's institutions, voluntary organisations, businesses and individuals hosted a variety of events. 
• Hafnarfjörður's Artist in Residence 2017 – The visual artist Steingrímur Eyfjörð has been appointed the City Artist of Hafnarfjörður for 2017. The Culture and Tourism Committee of Hafnarfjörður called for nominations for the town artist early in the year, and numerous nominations were received. The committee's decision was that in 2017, the visual artist Steingrímur Eyfjörð would be the town artist of Hafnarfjörður. 
• Grants that enrich and deepen the artistic life of Hafnarfjörður Cultural grants were awarded at a ceremony in Hafnarborg. Twenty-two projects received a grant this time; individuals, cultural groups or organisations, all of which have one thing in common: they are connected to Hafnarfjörður in one way or another. 
• New barbecue hut at Víðistaðatún – on the first of May, While the weather was changing with a light dusting of snow, the City of Hafnarfjörður officially opened a new barbecue hut in Víðistaðatún, and town councillors barbecued sausages for guests and passers-by after the Víðavangshlaupið, which took place on the lawn at first light on the first morning of summer. Plans are underway to continue making Víðistaðatún even more enjoyable than it is now, and the next project will focus on increasing the number of play equipment and benches in the area.