Ten years after its first edition, the Survey of Basic Municipal Information (Munic) collected, again, information based on questionnaires answered by 5,565 city halls.

 

Besides Administration, Housing, Sports, Culture, Safety, Transport, and Environment, three new themes were investigated: Human Rights, Health, and Gender Policies in Brazilian municipalities.

 

Just 18.7% of the municipalities in the Country had organizational structures concerned with gender themes, and only 7.1% of the municipalities had specialized police stations for women defense. One out of four municipalities had specific structure for human rights management. In 126 municipalities there were specific policies on lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people. In almost 60.0% of the municipalities actions were carried out for elderly people. In 2009, 98.3% of the municipalities had guardian councils, and 91.4% had councils for children's and teenagers' rights. Ten years before, percentages were 55.0% and 71.9%, respectively. Besides, to subsidize policies capable of promoting the social and cultural inclusion of gypsy communities, 290 municipalities recognized the existence of gypsy camps in their territory.

 

Munic also evidenced that 95.1% of the municipalities had professional teams concerned with family health. However, 33.8% of the office holders of municipal management agencies of health did not have complete higher education, and in 195 municipalities of the country, health councils did not have equal representation, as required by law.

From 2008 to 2009, the number of municipal servants grew 9.7%, reaching 5.7 million people. Munic also evidenced that 60.0% of city halls in the Country maintain a website, and 87.6% implemented digital inclusion policies. In 56.1% of the municipalities there were tax incentives to attract enterprises.

 

In 2009, Munic evidenced that, for the first time, more than half of all the municipalities had an Environment Council.

 

Less than 10.0% of the municipalities had a special office for Culture, but just in 5.9% of the municipalities there was no management agency for Sports.

 

In the area of Education, Munic evidenced that the state of Rio de Janeiro had the highest percentage (82.6%) of municipalities with inclusive schools

Vans and motorcycle taxis were already present in more than half of all the Brazilian municipalities.

 

In 275 municipalities, members of the Municipal Civil Guard earned less than a minimum wage. Besides, in 67.6% of the municipality, this police force had no internal affairs or ombudsman office. In 18.4% of the municipalities with Municipal Civil Guard, its members do not undergo training or qualification. Next, the main information from the survey:

 

Percentage of women mayors does not reach 10% and increased little between 2005 and 2009

 

In 2005, women mayors were 8.1% of total; in 2009, 9.2%. This increase happened mainly in the Northeast, which concentrates the current highest percentage of women mayors (51.2% of total), followed by the Southeast (24.0%). The concentration of women mayors is greater in municipalities with up to 100 thousand inhabitants.

Between 2005 and 2009, the proportion of mayors with higher education level increased from 43.8% to 47.5%, whereas the proportion of mayors with incomplete elementary education level decreased from 8.9% to 6.3%. Still regarding schooling, among women mayors, 62.7% had complete higher education level, against less than half (45.9%) of the mayors.

 

Almost half of the mayors had been re-elected

 

In 2009, 41.92% of mayors had been re-elected, whereas 58.1% had been elected for the first time. The municipalities with more than 10 thousand to 20 thousand inhabitants concentrated the highest percentage of new mayors (61.0%). In 2009, the parties with the biggest number of mayors in the Country were: PMDB (21.2%), PSDB (13.9%), PT (10.1%), PP (9.9%) and DEM (9.0%).

 

From 2008 to 2009, the number of municipal servants increased 9.7%

 

In 2009, approximately 5.7 million people worked in the municipal administration, 94.9% of them in the direct administration and 5.1% in the indirect. In relation to 2008, this number grew 9.7% and exceeded the rates of previous periods (2.1% between 2006 and 2008; 6.5% between 2005 and 2006; and 5.4% between 2004 and 2005).

 

The largest part of those who worked in the municipal direct administration consisted of statutory servants (62.2%), a percentage close to that of 2008 (63.5%). The participation of people without permanent contract (15.4% in 2008) increased, in 2009, to 16.8%. The participation of trainees and employed people without permanent contract increased, respectively, from 1.9% and 15.1% in 2008 to 2.1% and 16.8% in 2009. Among the 5,565 municipalities, 2,968 (53.3%) had administered open competitive examinations in the 24 months previous to the survey, and in 84.4% of them, the examination announcements presupposed vacancies for disabled people.

 

56.3% of the municipalities offer tax incentives to attract enterprises

 

In 2009, 3,134 municipalities (56.3%) adopted mechanisms to encourage enterprises, 59.5% of them were in the South and Southeast regions. Even encouraging the introduction of enterprises, 23.5% of these municipalities limited the introduction of environmentally harmful enterprises.

 

60.0% of the municipalities have a webpage and 87.6% have a digital inclusion policy

 

In 94.2% of the Brazilian municipalities there was a kind of customer service. The most utilized ones were conventional telephone (84.0%) and Internet (77.1%). In 99.9% of the municipalities there were computers in the direct administration. In 89.4% of them, computers were connected in networks, 99.5% had Internet access, and 96.4% of these by means of a broadband connection. In 2009, 60.0% of the municipalities (3,339) had a webpage.

 

Good part of the Brazilian municipalities (87.6%) informed that they developed digital inclusion policy or plan in 2009. Such policies were present in 95.0% of those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

 

The percentage of municipalities with a Municipal Office Devoted to Education increased

 

All the 5,565 Brazilian municipalities had, in 2009, an office for education, and in 43.8% there were offices exclusively devoted to education (against 26.3% in 2006). The percentage of municipalities with a Municipal Plan for Education also grew, from 31.0% in 2006 to 56.0% in 2009. Among the 3,138 municipalities with this plan, 52.0% formally committed themselves to the introduction of human rights issues into school curriculum, a more frequent initiative in Mato Grosso do Sul (81.6%), Pernambuco (71.7%), Sergipe (66.7%) and Rio de Janeiro (65,0%).

 

Rio de Janeiro has the highest percentage (82.6%) of municipalities with inclusive schools

 

 

In 2009, 48.0% of the Brazilian municipalities informed they had municipal schools able to deal with disabled people. Rio de Janeiro had the greatest proportion (82.6%) of municipalities with inclusive units, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul (78.2%) and Acre (77.3%). At the other extreme, there were Tocantins (23.0%) and Maranhão (24.1%).

 

Between 2006 and 2009, the percentage of municipalities with a Council on Education changed from 68.0% to 79.1%.

 

In 2009, Munic investigated for the first time the organization of Health in the municipalities

 

In 2009, Munic investigated, for the first time, the organization of health in Brazilian municipalities: their management agencies, the Office holder schooling, the Municipal Councils for Health and their functioning, the existence of a municipal plan for health and its year of creation. Munic also investigated the existence of health establishments, the quantity of teams in the family health program and their professionals.

 

In 82.5% of Brazilian municipalities there were municipal offices dedicated exclusively to health.

 

In 90.5% of the municipalities there were family health teams

 

In 90.5% of the municipalities there were family health teams, ranging from 99.6% in the Central-West region and 99.5% in the Northeast, to 89.9% in the Southeast. In just 275 municipalities there was no Family Health Program (PSF).

 

The teams are composed of a physician, a registered nurse, a practical nurse and six health community agents. They may also have a dentist, a dental nurse and a dental hygienist. Each team is responsible for a thousand families (decree 1886/GM, of December 18, 1997).

 

Eight municipalities with PSF had no physicians. In 10.0% of the municipalities there was more than one physician per team, in a total of 32,445 doctors. There were 33,883 nurses in PSF teams, but 20 municipalities (48 teams) did not count on this kind of professional. Dentists (21,888) were present in 93.0% of the municipalities.

 

33.8% of office holders of municipal management agencies of health had no complete higher education

 

Data show that 66.2% of office holders of municipal management agencies of health had finished higher education and 26.8% had a post-graduate degree. At the other extreme, 4.7% of office holders had not finished high school education in 2009, and 1.0% had not even finished elementary education (table below). Among office holders with higher education, 529 (9.5%) were doctors and 793 (14.2%), nurses.

 

 

In 6.5% of the municipalities there was no Municipal Fund for Health

 

Since 2004, municipalities must invest 15.0% of their budgetary income in SUS financing (decree no. 2,047, from November 5, 2002). However, in 2009, 6.5% of the municipalities had no Municipal Fund for Health (FMS). Among the 5,204 municipalities that had the FMS institutionalized, in 65.0% the agency responsible for its management was the municipal health office.

 

In 195 municipalities, Health Councils did not have equal representation, as required by law

 

In 2009, 148 municipalities declared not to have a Health council. Among those with the council, 30.6% had created it between 1989 and 1992, just after the Federal Constitution and the Organic Law on Health.

 

In 195 municipalities, councils did not have equal representation, as required by Law no. 8,142, from 1990. Among those that have councils with equal representation, in 12.1% the nature of the council was not deliberative. In 63 municipalities, the instituted Municipal Health Council did not meet in the last 12 months.

 

Less than a third of the municipalities considered accessibility for municipal buses

 

For the first time Munic questioned managers whether, in concessions, licenses or authorizations for the exploitation of public transportation services for municipal buses, accessibility technical standards are taken into consideration, in adaptations to the whole or part of the bus fleet, for safe utilization by people with disabilities or reduced mobility. Among the 589 municipalities acting like this, 76.7% belonged to the Southeast and South regions.

 

Less than 10.0% of the municipalities had an office dedicated to culture

 

In 2009, in most (70.9%) municipalities there were municipal offices for culture associated to other policies (mainly education, tourism and sports). Just 9.4% of the municipalities had offices exclusively devoted to culture, and 1.9% had an indirect administration organ for this area.

 

In the 1,618 municipalities with municipal legislations of cultural heritage protection, 96.4% of those legislations related to tangible cultural heritage, and 24.8% also addressed intangible cultural heritage (knowledge, processes of knowing and doing, rituals, feasts, rhythms, oral literature, etc.)

 

In 5.9% of the municipalities there was no management agency for sports

 

In 2009, only 5.9% of the municipalities had no structure to administer sports. There were municipal offices exclusively devoted to sports in 11.1% of the municipalities with up to 5 thousand inhabitants and in 55.0% of the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

 

In the same year, 69.0% of the Brazilian municipalities developed educational sports programs: 18.0% for performance sports and 80.4% for sports and leisure. Only 10.3% of the Brazilian municipalities presented sports actions, projects or programs for disabled people.

 

More than 80.0% of the municipalities register families in housing programs

 

Approximately 67.0% of the municipalities had an organ for the housing sector. Percentages tended to be higher in the biggest municipalities, exceeding 90.0% among those with more than 100 thousand inhabitants. In around a third of the municipalities, the housing sector was subordinate to another office, and just 6.0% had an Office exclusively devoted to Housing. This proportion was 40.0% among the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

 

More than 80.0% of the municipalities had no Housing Plan. Only 10.4% of the municipalities had land regularization program or legislation. Just three of the 40 municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants had no land regularization program or legislation (Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE, Uberlândia-MG and Guarulhos-SP).

 

Northeast was a highlight in transportation agencies

 

In 2009, 75.5% of the municipalities had structure for transportation policy. All the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants had a transportation agency: 37.5% as an office devoted to transport and 45.0% associated with the indirect administration. More than 97.0% of the municipalities with between 100,001 and 500 thousand inhabitants had a management agency for transport. The highlight was the North region (79.7%), followed by the Central-West region (76.8%).

 

Vans and motorcycle taxis were present in more than half of the Brazilian municipalities

 

In 53.9% of the municipalities there were motorcycle taxi services, especially in municipalities with population ranging from 50 thousand to 100 thousand. The percentage of municipalities with van service reached 66.7%, and 81.5% in those with population ranging from 20 thousand to 50 thousand. The most present transportation services among those surveyed were taxi (80.8%), van (66.7%) and motorcycle taxi (53.9%).

 

There was transportation by boat in 11.3% of the municipalities, mainly those of the North (51.5%). The subway was present just in the municipalities with more than 50 thousand inhabitants, and in 22.5% of those with more than 500 thousand.

The presence of the Municipal Civil Guard in the states ranged from 0.0% (Acre) to 73.9% (RJ). The percentage of women (13.4%) in the body is much smaller than that of men (86.6%) and experienced a moderate increase (0.4%) in relation to 2006. In 18.4% of the municipalities with this police force, the staff does not receive training or qualification.

In 16.3% of the municipalities, the municipal civil guard did not use firearms

Munic 2009 found that in 16.3% of the Brazilian municipalities, the municipal civil guard did not use firearms. The distribution of these municipalities is also related to the population size, ranging from 54.3% among the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants to 8.0% of those with up to 5 thousand inhabitants.

 

In 275 municipalities, the municipal civil guard earns less than a minimum wage

In 2009, according to city halls, in 95.0% of the municipalities, municipal civil guards earned an initial salary equivalent to up to three minimum wages, but in 275 municipalities this basic salary was smaller than one minimum wage. The 0.3% of the municipalities with higher salaries than five minimum wages belongs to in São Paulo, whereas 78.5% of the municipalities with lower salaries than the minimum wage are in the Northeast.

 

In 67.6% of the municipalities, the Municipal Civil Guard had no internal affairs or ombudsman office

In 18.4% of the municipalities with Municipal Civil Guard, the staff does not receive training or qualification. However, in 64.0% of the municipalities, members of the force studied a subject of Human Rights during training or qualification. Among the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants, all provided this course.

In 2009, 67.6% of the municipalities with Municipal Civil Guard had no office to correct abuses of authorities (internal affairs) or receive complaints (ombudsman office). In 2006, this percentage was 72.0%.

 

Care to women affected by violence was concentrated in the Southeast 

In 2009 in the country, there were 262 municipalities with shelters, 559 with reference centers for women, 397 Specialized Police Stations for Women Defense, 469 with specialized centers for women defense at public defenders’ offices and 274 with special courts for domestic and familial violence.

 

The specialized municipal services were concentrated in the Southeast, where 35% of the municipalities had shelters and 32.0%, reference centers. Regions North and Central-West had the smallest percentages. Municipalities in São Paulo (50) and Rio Grande do Sul (33) were those that most counted on shelters. The municipalities of Paraíba (0), Roraima, Amapá and Rio Grande do Norte (1) were those who less counted on this service.

 

In more than half of the municipalities there was not easy access to city hall

 

Munic investigated 16 items of accessibility in city hall seats, relative to the elderly, pregnant women, women carrying babies or strollers, or for those with temporarily reduced mobility. In 53.1% of the municipalities there was none of the 16 items. In 10.0% of the municipalities, accessibility policies were defined by municipal legislation, determining the adaptation of cultural, art and sports spaces to people with disabilities, among other measures.

 

Just 18.7% of the municipalities in the country had organs directed to gender themes

In 2009 in the country, there were 1.043 municipalities with some type of structure for gender issues, just 18.7% of the total of Brazilian cities. Among the municipalities with up to 5 thousand inhabitants, 10.3% had some structure for the theme. Among those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants, the percentage was 90.0%.

In 36.0% of the municipalities, organs for women had an own budget. In 77.0% of the municipalities these organs also dealt with the elderly (86%), children and teenagers (87%) and disabled people (67.6%).

 

One out of four municipalities has a specific structure for human rights management

In Brazil, 1.408 municipalities (25.3%) have specific structure for human rights management, and in 79 there are Municipal Councils for Human Rights. In the states, the proportion of municipalities with such a structure ranges from absence (Acre and Amapá) to 75.0% (Piauí). There is structure for human rights management in only 21.63% of the municipalities with less than 20 thousand inhabitants and in 72.5% of those with more than 500 thousand.

 

 In one year, municipalities with environment structure changed from 77.8% to 84.5%

 

In 2009, 84.5% of the municipalities had any agency to deal with environment. In 2008, the percentage was 77.8%. There was a generalized increase, and the highest percentages were among the most populous municipalities. Among those with environment structure, a municipal office working in association with others (52.5%) predominated. Next were those with a municipal office destined to environment (23.9%) and those subordinate to another (16.0%). Even not being the most developed region of the country, the North has the highest percentage of municipalities with administrative structure for the Environment (92.2%).

 

Most environment managers were in the middle age: 47.1% were 41 to 60; 37.6%, 26 to 40. Women’s participation was limited, 16.6% against 83.4% of men, and greater among the youngest (almost 90% were between 18 and 40 years old). These managers had high-level schooling: 35.0% had complete higher education and 14.2%, post-graduation degree, adding up to almost 50% with higher education, a proportion that increased in the most populous municipalities and reached 90% in those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

 

For the first time, more than half of the municipalities have and Environment Council

 

In 2009, 3,135 Brazilian municipalities (56.3%) had a Municipal Environment Council (CMMA). It was the first time that more than half the municipalities declared the existence of the council. This organ was present in all municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants. However, the presence of CMMA was still weak in comparison with other kinds of council, such as those for Social Work (99.3% of the municipalities), Health (97.3%), Children’s and Teenagers’ Rights (91.4%) and Education (79.1%).

 

Agenda 21 is being prepared in 19.9% of the municipalities

 

In 2009, 19.9% of the municipalities had begun preparing Agenda 21¹, a lower percentage than that of 2002 (29.7%). It was being created especially in bigger municipalities (60.0% among those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants) and from 100 thousand to 500 thousand inhabitants (49.4%).

 

Agenda 21 was more frequent in the North region (27.4%), followed by the Northeast (25.8%), Southeast (18.5%), Central-West (13.7%) and South (12.4%). In relation to 2002, there was an expressive decrease in the percentage of the Northeast region (from 63.8% to 25.8%), but the in the other regions, the participation of municipalities preparing the Agenda 21 increased.

 

In 2009, 46.8% of the municipalities had some kind of environment legislation, against 42.5% in 2002.

 

The participation of municipalities grows in river basin committees

 

In 2002, 47% of the municipalities participated in River Basin Committees, a percentage that changed from 42.9% in 2004 to 61.1% in 2009. The most populous municipalities keep the greatest participation (82% from 100 thousand to 500 thousand and 90% in those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants). Among those with up to 5,000 and with up to 20,000 inhabitants, more than half participated in some river basin committee in 2009.

 

In 87.5% of the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants there was Municipal Civil Guard

 

In Brazil, 15.5% of the municipalities had a Municipal Civil Guard. The existence of this institution is connected to the population size of the municipality. See in the graph below:

In 126 municipalities there are specific policies for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people

 

Lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are part of one of the most vulnerable populations to violations of human rights, and they try to obtain the acknowledgement of their civil, social and political rights. In 126 municipalities (2.3%) there was some type of policy for this population, and in four (São Paulo-SP; Amandaí-MS; Pelotas-RS and Diadema-SP) there were municipal councils specific for the theme.

 

In almost 60% of the municipalities there were actions directed to the elderly

 

In 59.9% of the municipalities there were actions for the elderly. In 1,974 municipalities (35.5%) there are councils for Rights of the Elderly: in 340 of them, for more than 10 years. More than half of the councils appeared after the enactment of the Elderly Statute, in 2003. Other municipal councils identified by Munic 2009 were those of the Youth (303 municipalities), LGBT Rights (4), Rights of Disabled People (490) and Racial Equality (148).

 

In 10 years, more municipalities create guardian councils and councils for children and teenagers’ rights

In 1999, 55.0% of the municipalities had Guardian Councils, and 71.9%, Municipal Councils for Children and Teenagers’ Rights. In 2009, percentages were 98.3% and 91.4%, respectively. Among the 92 municipalities without Guardian Council, more than half were from Maranhão (20), Minas (21) and Bahia (8). Of the 481 municipalities without Municipal Council for Children and Teenagers’ Rights, 46.3% were from Maranhão (64), Minas (68), Bahia (61) and Pará (30).

 

In 4,910 municipalities (88.2%) there are policies or actions for children and teenagers, such as combat against child labor (3,263), leisure policies (3,111), support for disabled children and teenagers (2,713) or combat against sexual exploitation (2,201).

 

290 municipalities already recognize gypsy camps in their territory

 

To promote the sociocultural inclusion of their communities, in 2006 was created the Work Group for Gypsy Cultures, integrating representatives of diverse gypsy peoples and of the public power.

 

Among the 290 municipalities that recognize the existence of gypsy camps in their territory, 95 (32.8%) had between more than 20 thousand and 50 thousand inhabitants. Most of these municipalities are located along highway BR-101.

 

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¹The local Agenda 21 is a participating and multisector process to prepare a strategic program of action addressed to local sustainable development, by means of public policies.