INPO: Pristina municipality incapable of capital projects, money is spending on luxury

The INPO organisation expresses concern about low budget realisation for capital investments in the Pristina municipality. According to data it turns out that this municipality has spent only 43 percent of its budget on capital investment, it becomes known through a media communique.

“The INPO calls on the mayor of the municipality and the Municipal Assembly to do a detailed analysis of the reasons for not spending budgets on capital projects and to take all necessary actions to improve the work on realisation of the” budget, Koha.net broadcasts, says the communiquette.

According to the Pristina Community's financial report for the period of January 31st, 2018, which is expected to be discussed at the next meeting of the Policy Committee and Finance (KPF), the municipal executive, mayor, respectively, has failed to spend even half of the budget planned for capital investments. Out of the more than 38m euros before the category, the municipality has spent only 16m and 728 thousand euros, or only 43.47% of available means. Compared to the preceding 2017, 2016 and 2015, we find that the level of execution of the capital investment budget has suffered a dramatic decline. By 2017, 56,4.8% of available means were spent from this budget category, already 58% in 2016 and 62% in 2015.

INPO says this declining trend of budget spending dedicated to capital investments testifies to the community's inability to plan and implement capital projects within the budget year.

INPO has noted that 8m euros or 50% of the means for this category have been spent in the last quarter of 2018, which is a clear indication of the municipality's lack of systematic engagement to manage and oversee capital investments.

The National Audition Office, in annual reports of the municipality's financial mirrors, has consistently recommended to the mayor, to assess the reasons for the low level of budget execution for capital investments. As noted in the financial report, the chairman has not taken any action to more justly spend this category. The president's actions to address recommendations from the National Audition Office have not even been reflected in this report.

“On the other hand, the municipality has had no difficulty achieving luxury expenses, even exceeding the amount approved for spending. For 12 months municipalities for (i) the official lunch has spent over 30 thousand euros, yet approved were only 25 thousand, (ii) for mobile phones spent over 83 thousand euros, over 8 thousand euros more than was planned, (this) for car fuel has spent over 163 thousand euros or over 13 thousand euros more than planned, and (iv) rent for cars has been exceeded for 180 thousand and 990 euros, worth of total rent for cars is spent from the municipality budget of 23590 euros or more than 300%>

Also, according to INPO the impasse has been noted in the record of personal revenues from certain income categories, respectively, from the bankrolling of waste, where close to 1.5m euros are recorded, while tax collection projections for this category were about 5m euros, as well as taxes on public space exploitation, in inspection, etc.

In this direction, INPO invites the mayor of the municipality of Pristina to objectively engage in identifying factors that have not impacted budget realisation for this category and in co-operation with the Communist Assembly to draft focused strategies on capital investments based on priorities and real financial planning, always based on the real needs of citizens in order to improve quality of services and life in the municipality of Pristina. /Periscopi