Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Oct. 7, 2026 — Mayor Luis Munguía says Puerto Vallarta may request an advance on federal revenue transfers to cover this year’s Christmas bonuses.
A decision is expected within weeks, according to his comments. Munguía said the municipality had requested advances in the previous two years.
“Yes, there is a strong possibility, especially for Christmas bonuses,” he said, referring to the year-end employee benefit known as the aguinaldo.
Payroll delays affect workers and public services
The financial pressure has already reached municipal departments that maintain public spaces. According to reporting on the September payroll delays, cleaning, parks and gardens employees briefly stopped work over overdue wages.
An update published Wednesday said temporary employees received their overdue September wages Tuesday, Oct. 6. Some employees were still awaiting their Public Servant Day bonus, according to that account.
That September benefit is separate from the Christmas bonuses now under discussion. Munguía attributed the payroll delay to financial pressure when regular wages coincided with the public servant bonus.
The proposal would bring future revenue forward
Munguía had discussed this option before the latest payroll delays. In an Aug. 29 interview about year-end financing, he described requesting transfers otherwise scheduled for 2027.
Under the arrangement he described, Puerto Vallarta would receive some future revenue earlier to cover current obligations. Munguía said the request would depend on Jalisco’s treasury and require City Council approval.
Our review of the city’s original 2026 spending budget found 1.407 billion pesos allocated to personnel expenses. Our calculation puts that at about 45% of the 3.102 billion-peso spending plan.
The same budget lists 88.3 million pesos in expenditures under an advance-of-participations agreement with Jalisco’s treasury. That allocation appears in the budget approved last December; it does not approve the advance now being considered.
City Hall has announced payroll reductions
The municipality has also reported cuts to staffing costs. In a Sept. 19 municipal statement, officials said the first September payroll contained 110 fewer employees than the preceding pay period.
Payments were approximately 1.8 million pesos lower over the same comparison, the city said. We previously examined the staffing review in our City Hall Watch coverage of payroll reductions.
Officials said the adjustments focused mainly on administrative and support positions, while seeking to preserve employees who provide services directly to residents.
