Although the construction business was somehow "protected" during the coronavirus pandemic and investors were allowed to work while others were under lock and key, the coffers of the Municipality of Budva remained practically empty.
Utility bills in the first five months are half as much as last year.
This was confirmed in an interview with "Vijesti" by the head of the Utility Billing Service of the Municipality of Budva, Ninoslav Kaluđerović.
Kaluđerović said that compared to the past three years, the lowest collection of utilities was recorded.
"In the period from January 1 to today, exactly 1.813.294 euros were collected, which is 50 percent less than in the same period last year. Namely, last year they collected 3.640.674 euros for the first five months, the collection in 2018 for this period was 3,27 million euros, and from January to the end of May 2017, we collected 3,45 million euros on behalf of utilities," he said. Kaludjerovic.
According to him, from January to May, a total of 30 utility bills were implemented, which is 26 fewer than in the same period last year.
He said that the Service terminated contracts worth 800.000 euros in the past period.
"1.813.294 euros were collected for utilities in the period from January 1 to today, which is 50 percent less than in the same period last year. Namely, last year they collected 3.640.674 euros for the first five months," said Kaluđerović.
"We decided on such a move, because the investors did not comply with the contractual obligations", said Kaluđerović.
He said that he is convinced that the collection of utilities will be intensified in the coming period.
According to the budget for this year, an inflow of eight million euros is expected from utilities - 5,3 million from investors, and 3,7 million from citizens.
Utilities, in addition to taxes, are one of the main sources of income that fills the municipal coffers.
The utility collection service managed to collect more than 30 million euros of "clean money" in the past three years, which went directly into the municipal coffers.
They stopped the practice of charging utilities with compensations.
This kind of inflow from the utilities recovered the Municipality of Budva, which was in a financial crisis during the previous DPS-SDP government.
However, insiders say that it was expected that the construction business, which flourished even during the pandemic, would provide financial benefits to the Municipality of Budva.
"For the time being, a new decision on the fee for communal equipment of construction land, which was also on public discussion before the pandemic, is pending. It provides that utilities for residential construction in Budva, in its most attractive part, will be half the size, which would largely stopped the concreting of the metropolis of tourism"...
There is obviously nothing to it, because the investors, although they submitted dozens of applications for the start of construction and certified the documentation in the Municipality of Budva, did not pay utilities.
Amining of construction by the National Coordinating Body for Infectious Diseases during the pandemic and claims that a large number of workers on construction sites do not pose an epidemiological risk caused a revolt by the citizens of Budva.
Representatives of the local communities "Sveti Stefan" and "Babin do" even asked the municipal leadership to ban construction, and the local Democrats insisted on this, claiming that none of the construction sites from Jaz to Buljarica are complying with the prescribed measures and that represent a risk to citizens' health.
If the planned inflow from utilities does not materialize, the Municipality will have to rebalance the budget.
For now, a new decision on the fee for communal equipment of construction land, which was also on public discussion before the pandemic, is pending.
It foresees that utilities for residential construction in Budva, in its most attractive part, will be half the size, which would largely stop the concreting of the tourism metropolis.
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