{"id":13352,"date":"2017-05-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hafnarfjordur.is\/i-baejarfrettum-er-thetta-helst-7\/"},"modified":"2022-10-25T09:00:19","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T09:00:19","slug":"in-the-local-news-these-are-the-main-headlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hafnarfjordur.is\/en\/i-baejarfrettum-er-thetta-helst-7\/","title":{"rendered":"In the local news, the main stories are\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

A message from the mayor after the turn of the month<\/h4>\n

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.  <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur, 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 Bj\u00f6rtir 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 \u2013 the music festival held in private homes in Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur, 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 V\u00ed\u00f0ista\u00f0at\u00fan, and the list goes on. The Artist of the City of Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur was reappointed after a break in the appointments, and the Culture and Tourism Committee decided that visual artist Steingr\u00edmur Eyfj\u00f6r\u00f0 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur. 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur'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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur, 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur, 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 kr\u00f3na, 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 Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur 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: <\/p>\n