The budget of Sofia City for 2005 was passed on February 24 amid some serious controversy over the money that should be spent this year on the collection of refuse and street cleaning and repairs.
Some 12.5 million leva will be spent on the repair of streets outside the city centre this year, according to the 2005 budget adopted by Sofia City Council.
Announcing the details of the financial plan of Sofia, the council’s budget committee chairman Ivan Neikov said that 80 per cent of the money will be used for the overhaul of streets and 20 per cent for running repairs.
Of the six million leva budgeted for landscaping, a million was allocated for a new programme called Green Sofia to finance projects proposed by individual neighbourhoods, Neikov said. Seven million leva will subsidise the public transport season tickets of schoolchildren, university students, senior citizens and people with disabilities.
The allocation for waste packaging has been increased by two million leva, and 1.9 million leva more has been earmarked for street lighting, road marking and traffic lights. More than 500 000 leva has been added to the social work allocation, bearing in mind that Sofia lacks an adequate day care centre for disabled children, Neikov noted.
Two hundred thousand leva more will be spent on sports activities, youth sports and tourism, and as much has been budgeted for implementation of a crime prevention programme. Kindergartens and municipal schools will be repaired to the tune of 500 000 leva, and reception centres for members of the public for 90 000 leva.
After a prolonged debate, the municipal councillors resolved to set aside 5 million leva, out of 53 million leva provided to the sanitation concessionaires for the treatment of refuse, Neikov said. He specified that if it is proven that more money is needed to keep Sofia tidy, this budget will be increased.
It was this issue that caused some serious controversy during the budget debate. The problem of how to store Sofia’s refuse after the closure of the city dump in Suhodol has been at the top of the agenda since the civil disobedience that blocked its use in January.
According to the municipality’s plans, the refuse will be packed and stored after the closure of the Suhodol dump. Packed, the refuse will be stored until the refuse-annihilation plant is built on the territory of Kremikovtsi steel plant.
However, some municipal councillors are against the municipality’s plans. According to them, the packing system – at 10 million leva – is too expensive, and inefficient. Besides, the system is unlikely to be ready by June when the Suhodol dump is supposed to be closed.
The streets of Sofia are filthy, according to Milor Mihailov, deputy mayor of Sofia responsible for the environment, who threatened to resign. They will get even dirtier, because from now till the end of the year many neighbourhood streets and alleys will be neither swept, nor washed. The council-approved 48.5 million leva for the concessionaires will only be enough for refuse disposal and snow clearing in winter, Mihailov said. “We have no option but to cut back sweeping and washing the streets,” he said.
If we update the budget in the autumn and allot more money for city sanitation what sense does it make to wash the streets in November, Mihailov asked angrily after hearing Neikov’s promise for changes later in the year.
Spring is looming large and in warm weather infections may spread, hygiene and epidemiology experts commented. According to them, any neglect of urban sanitation poses a risk of infectious diseases.
A brief look at the Sofia City Council decision on the 2005 budget shows that this year one of the central and most congested boulevards of Sofia, Tsarigrad-sko Shosse, will not be repaired after all.
Some 12.5 million leva will be spent on the repair of streets outside the city centre this year, according to the 2005 budget adopted by Sofia City Council.
Announcing the details of the financial plan of Sofia, the council’s budget committee chairman Ivan Neikov said that 80 per cent of the money will be used for the overhaul of streets and 20 per cent for running repairs.
Of the six million leva budgeted for landscaping, a million was allocated for a new programme called Green Sofia to finance projects proposed by individual neighbourhoods, Neikov said. Seven million leva will subsidise the public transport season tickets of schoolchildren, university students, senior citizens and people with disabilities.
The allocation for waste packaging has been increased by two million leva, and 1.9 million leva more has been earmarked for street lighting, road marking and traffic lights. More than 500 000 leva has been added to the social work allocation, bearing in mind that Sofia lacks an adequate day care centre for disabled children, Neikov noted.
Two hundred thousand leva more will be spent on sports activities, youth sports and tourism, and as much has been budgeted for implementation of a crime prevention programme. Kindergartens and municipal schools will be repaired to the tune of 500 000 leva, and reception centres for members of the public for 90 000 leva.
After a prolonged debate, the municipal councillors resolved to set aside 5 million leva, out of 53 million leva provided to the sanitation concessionaires for the treatment of refuse, Neikov said. He specified that if it is proven that more money is needed to keep Sofia tidy, this budget will be increased.
It was this issue that caused some serious controversy during the budget debate. The problem of how to store Sofia’s refuse after the closure of the city dump in Suhodol has been at the top of the agenda since the civil disobedience that blocked its use in January.
According to the municipality’s plans, the refuse will be packed and stored after the closure of the Suhodol dump. Packed, the refuse will be stored until the refuse-annihilation plant is built on the territory of Kremikovtsi steel plant.
However, some municipal councillors are against the municipality’s plans. According to them, the packing system – at 10 million leva – is too expensive, and inefficient. Besides, the system is unlikely to be ready by June when the Suhodol dump is supposed to be closed.
The streets of Sofia are filthy, according to Milor Mihailov, deputy mayor of Sofia responsible for the environment, who threatened to resign. They will get even dirtier, because from now till the end of the year many neighbourhood streets and alleys will be neither swept, nor washed. The council-approved 48.5 million leva for the concessionaires will only be enough for refuse disposal and snow clearing in winter, Mihailov said. “We have no option but to cut back sweeping and washing the streets,” he said.
If we update the budget in the autumn and allot more money for city sanitation what sense does it make to wash the streets in November, Mihailov asked angrily after hearing Neikov’s promise for changes later in the year.
Spring is looming large and in warm weather infections may spread, hygiene and epidemiology experts commented. According to them, any neglect of urban sanitation poses a risk of infectious diseases.
A brief look at the Sofia City Council decision on the 2005 budget shows that this year one of the central and most congested boulevards of Sofia, Tsarigrad-sko Shosse, will not be repaired after all.
