Small settlements to receive money directly from taxes is another idea from the talks of the caretaker Prime Minister
TThe mayors of small settlements demanded a further change of the local authorities, in which the municipal councils would be closed, at a meeting with the Prime Minister Stefan Yanev in his native village of Popovitsa.
Instead of councilors to be elected separately, decisions had to be made by a council of small mayors in the municipality. They would also control the municipal mayor, according to their idea.
“70% of councilors do not even know what they are voting for, but their decisions
they don’t help us
with nothing but
harm us
as there is no efficient allocation of funds. This is a field for corruption! ”, Argued the mayor of Kalofer Rumen Stoyanov. He added that if local parliaments remain as structures, the elders should work for free.
The mayors also asked the prime minister to review the municipalities to find out how the money is spent on the villages and whether it is used appropriately for the needs of small settlements.
“We also presented to the prime minister the problems related to Bulgarian products. The native label should be tied to our resource. When we buy cheese, it should be with Bulgarian milk, the same should apply to sausages, rose oil and other Bulgarian products that we have compromised “, explained the mayor of Kalofer.
There is an idea that part of the local taxes will be available to the small mayors in order to maintain and improve the infrastructure and living conditions in the settlements, said the caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev after the meeting. Currently, the mayoralties do not have their own revenues, but rely on a budget allocated to them by the municipal council on the proposal of the municipal mayor. Apart from the centralized distribution of the budget, the small mayors are highly dependent on the decisions of the local parliaments, Yanev explained.
“It simply came to our notice then
we can’t
let’s be useful
of people,
although we are the closest and we know their problems best “, the mayors believe.
“On Tuesday we will hold a meeting with the Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria. The problems of the smallest settlements will be discussed at it “, the acting Prime Minister assured. At this stage, however, it was not possible to talk about a financial audit of the municipalities, as demanded by the mayors.
“It is clear that changes need to be made in two laws in order to realize the real decentralization of municipal funding and the funds to reach the last mayor of the smallest settlement,” said Yanev. The caretaker cabinet may prepare changes to leave to the new parliament, but whether that will happen will be clear after talks with the big mayors on Tuesday.
“We are satisfied with the meeting, as we have presented to the Prime Minister all the important problems facing small settlements. We do not make illusions, their solution is a long and complicated process, but a mutually acceptable solution can be reached “, said the mayor of Kalofer Rumen Stoyanov.
Reactions: No
there are no advisors
balance, but can
to reduce
You can’t do without municipal councilors, because they guarantee control over mayors. They also provide a balance at the political level.
This comment on the demands of the village mayors was made before “24 Chasa” by mayors from the big cities, which are also municipal centers.
“I do not know if it will happen. There must be a balance in the management and the other opinion should be heard “, said the mayor of Plovdiv Zdravko Dimitrov.
“If the municipal council is closed, there is no one to monitor the work of the mayor. Without municipal councilors it is impossible, there must be a balance. But to reduce their number is a real thing. I will only tell you that in Plovdiv in the 70s and 80s of the last century there were from 7 to 9 municipal councilors. Now there are 51 “, added the mayor of Plovdiv. And he defined the performance of financial audits as something completely in order.
Even sharper was the mayor of Karlovo Emil Kabaivanov, to whom the author of the idea Rumen Stoyanov from Kalofer is subordinated.
“This shows a deep ignorance of the constitutional structure of the Republic of Bulgaria and the function of the mayor of the municipality, the mayor of the mayor’s office and the municipal council,” said Kabaivanov.
“There is nothing rational in this idea. I do not believe that a sane mayor or a Bulgarian politician who knows local self-government will support it. This is a fictional question, enough to be debated in public and some people to be present in the media. Municipal councils are the legislative bodies of the municipalities. They represent civil society in all its diversity. If we put in them only mayors of small settlements, their representativeness will be narrowed “, added Kabaivanov. He gave the example of the municipality of Karlovo, where Kalofer, Banya, Klisura and Rosino have separate budgets.
“However, the budget is also a responsibility, as you have to collect your income as a manager,” added the mayor of Karlovo.
Some of the mayors wanted by “24 Chasa” openly described the proposals as nonsense.
Today is expected the position of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria together with the Association of Chairmen of Municipal Councils. They should also have a separate meeting with Prime Minister Stefan Yanev on Tuesday, but the central topic there should be financial decentralization.
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