Jalisco’s Congress signed off on how 2026 money will flow to municipalities—then confirmed nine town halls blew the deadline to file their 2024 accounts. That lapse triggers penalties that will reduce what those local governments expect to receive from federal pots next year. Lawmakers say some cities scrambled in recent days to avoid sanctions, but others didn’t submit at all. Here’s what changed, which funds are affected, and why the debate isn’t about “zero pesos,” but about losing a chunk of the Jalisco federal funds many towns rely on.
What changed for 2026 money
In an extraordinary session on September 30, Jalisco’s Congress approved the coefficients that determine how several municipal funds will be split in the 2026 fiscal year. Those mechanisms include the Fondo de Fiscalización y Recaudación, the Fondo de Fomento Municipal, municipal participations, a gasoline and diesel excise tax, and an incentive tied to income-tax collections on real estate sales. This vote sets the math for next year’s transfers across the state.
The twist: nine municipalities failed to meet the legal requirement to submit their 2024 cuenta pública to the state auditor (ASEJ) on time. Lawmakers confirmed those towns will be sanctioned in the distribution. The list, consistent across outlets, includes Mexticacán, Tapalpa, Chiquilistlán, Bolaños, San Martín de Bolaños, Tuxcueca, Tonila, Gómez Farías, and Acatlán de Juárez. Jalisco federal funds tied to the approved coefficients won’t flow as expected to those nine in 2026.
The penalty and the paperwork
How harsh is the hit? An influential radio report stressed this isn’t necessarily “zero,” but it does mean significantly less than they would otherwise receive. The president of the Finance and Budget Committee, Gabriela Cárdenas, said the lack of updated reporting blocks towns from qualifying for more participation; some submitted nothing, while others filed partial reports. That nuance matters: the sanction focuses on the pieces of the federal transfers that depend on timely, complete accounts, especially for “excess” distributions linked to collection and oversight results.
Behind the scenes is a dry but decisive ruleset. ASEJ outlines the requirements for preparing and delivering municipal accounts, as well as the timeframe within which the auditor must review them after receipt. Miss the filing, and you fall out of the formula when Congress locks in the coefficients. In short, the paperwork is the ticket to the money. Several lagging municipalities reportedly rushed in recent days and narrowly avoided penalties; nine didn’t make it.
Why this lands hard for small town halls
For smaller municipalities, these transfers can be lifelines. Lawmakers themselves acknowledged that many “live off” what the federation sends. Losing access to a share—or the ability to tap into larger pools tied to performance—forces tough choices on services such as water, lighting, trash, cemetery upkeep, security, paving, and parks. The committee said it would work “24/7” with local treasuries so they don’t repeat the miss for 2025 accounts, but the 2026 hit now looks baked in after the vote. Jalisco federal funds are predictable only when compliance is ensured.
Outside the nine, there’s a cautionary tale. Earlier in September, as many as 21 municipalities were still out of compliance. Media tracked that number falling as clerks scrambled; on the final stretch, six more towns filed and dodged the cut. The line between “in” and “out” came down to days—and paperwork in proper order.
