Key Takeaways:
- Salvador 2026 budget preserves R$51.6m for councillors’ amendments, equally split among 43 members.
- The reallocation raises health funding to R$600k per councillor, increasing total health allocations to R$25.8m.
- The city council’s operating budget rises to R$349.5m, a 7.5% increase from 2025.
- The Chamber returned nearly R$55m to the city and approved a rise in monthly compensatory allowances from R$34k to R$39k.
Mayor Bruno Reis (União) signed the 2026 budget law for Salvador on Monday, confirming how the city will allocate resources next year and outlining funds earmarked for the City Council and councillors’ parliamentary amendments. The measure maintains a total of R$51.6 million for councillors’ amendments while shifting a greater share towards health.
Salvador 2026 budget adjusts priorities towards health
Under the approved estimates, the municipal executive will continue to allocate R$51.6 million for councillors’ amendments, to be divided equally among the 43 councillors. Each councillor retains a total R$1.2 million in amendment funds, but the distribution between sectors has been revised. For 2026, the per-councillor split will be R$300,000 for education, R$600,000 for health and R$300,000 for other areas. That change raises the citywide allocation to R$25.8 million for health, R$12.9 million for education and R$12.9 million for other initiatives.
The city emphasised that these amounts comply with the Budget Guidelines Law (LDO) approved in July and are intended to support projects in health and education. While the total available for amendments remains unchanged from 2025, the reallocation signals a clear priority for municipal health spending in the coming year.
City council budget and fiscal discipline
The estimate also sets the operating budget for the City Council of Salvador at R$349.5 million for 2026, up from R$324.9 million in 2025 — a 7.5% increase. In a separate fiscal move, the president of the Chamber, Carlos Muniz (PSDB), returned nearly R$55 million (R$54,932,096.87) to the municipality. Muniz met Mayor Reis at the Palácio Thomé de Souza to formally notify the administration of the savings realised under the council’s duodécimo.
That transfer underscores a degree of fiscal prudence within the legislature even as it secures funding for councillors’ initiatives.
Changes to compensatory allowances
The Chamber approved amendments to the regulations governing internal costs and staff structure, including adjustments to the councillors’ compensatory allowance. Unlike amendments that fund project activity, the compensatory allowance reimburses small expenses incurred in the exercise of a mandate. The monthly allowance will rise from R$34,000 to R$39,000 per councillor and will remain subject to annual adjustments tied to official inflation indices.
Reimbursement requires submission of original invoices or equivalent documents. The Chamber’s Internal Control System examines claims for fiscal and accounting compliance, but councillors remain responsible for the authenticity and accuracy of presented documents. Unused balances may accumulate within the financial year but cannot be carried over to subsequent years or transferred between offices. Councillors forfeit the allowance if they are absent from their mandate for certain reasons, such as taking up other public posts or extended leave.
Observers will likely watch how the greater emphasis on health funding is converted into concrete services and whether the municipality provides clearer detail on the destination of the R$12.9 million listed as “other areas.” For now, the Salvador 2026 budget maintains existing amendment totals while signalling a deliberate shift toward strengthening municipal health allocations.
