The councilors of the authorities decided: Next year, water will be more expensive for Barane, some Water Supply services will be cheaper for companies

Starting next year, 2025, the services of DOO "Vodovod i Kanalizacija" (ViK) will become more expensive, so the prices of water and waste water removal and disposal will be more expensive for citizens, while some services will be cheaper for companies.

This was the decision of the government councilors in the Bar Municipality Assembly, from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Social Democrats (SD), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Liberal Party (LP), who supported this proposal with 19 votes.

For citizens, the variable price for a cubic meter of water delivered this year in Bar is 91 cents including VAT, and from January next year it will cost 1,02 euros, which is 11,73 percent more.

The variable part of the price for accepted and removed waste water per cubic meter is currently 26 cents and will increase to 28 cents, which is 9,1 percent more.

The fixed part of the price for delivered water is now 63 cents including VAT, and from next year it will be 1,01 euro, while the fixed part of the price for accepting and removing waste water costs 13 cents, and next year it will be 27 cents.

For companies, the variable price for a cubic meter of water delivered this year in Bar is 1,1 euros including VAT, and from January next year it will be cheaper to 1,02 euros, which is 7,27 percent less. The variable part of the price for the acceptance and removal of wastewater per cubic meter for the company is currently 31 cents, and it will decrease to 28 cents, which is 9,7 percent less.

The fixed part of the price for delivered water for companies is now 76 cents, and from next year it will be 1,01 euros, which is 34 percent more, while the fixed part of the price for accepting and removing waste water costs 27 cents, and next year it will be 27 cents more expensive.

The pumping, removal and disposal of waste water per cubic meter this year costs 17,38 including VAT, and from 2025 it will increase to 19,33 euros for both citizens and businesses.

All listed prices include VAT, and four opposition councilors voted against this proposal.

Mladen Đuričić, director of DOO "Vodovod i kanalizacija Bar" said that the increase in these prices is the result of the legal obligation to harmonize prices for legal entities and natural persons, a significant increase in costs due to the continuous growth of operating costs exemplified by the drastic increase in the price of inputs necessary for daily work and unfavorable legal solutions. .

"It is important to note that the prices were formed on the basis of the prescribed methodology by the Regulatory Agency, which cannot effectively react to the changes that are taking place or adequately adapt to the newly emerging economic situations," said Đuričić.

He said that doing otherwise would make it impossible for that company to face economic and business challenges.

According to him, that company has been facing an extremely unfavorable business environment for a long time, with a constant decrease in the prices of the services they provide.

"Such a situation has led to a serious reduction in income from the core business, which is the main source of our financing. The company will continue to work dedicatedly in the interest of citizens, ensuring stable water supply and improvement of communal infrastructure, regardless of all limiting factors, we will continue to responsibly manage resources in with the aim of improving the quality of life of our citizens," Đurićić concluded.

Valentina Minić, councilor of Democratic Montenegro, said in the discussion that analyzing the report on the business of that company for last year, she saw that the income of the Bar Water and Sewerage was over five million and 200 thousand euros, and the expenses were about 100 thousand less than that.

She concluded that the company operated positively and that they did not have a deficit, and with the rebalancing of the budget that was adopted today, five times more funds were planned for ViK in the amount of 600 thousand euros together with about 100 thousand that were planned in the original budget.

Therefore, she said that everyone should have voted against it since the Municipality of Bar provided significant funds and despite the fact that the Regulatory Agency gave a positive opinion on the price increase.

Ammar Borančić, vice-president of SO Bar from LP, said that the price increase is not popular and that none of them would be in favor of it, but they have no choice.

"Every year we have the same story. The Regulatory Agency, the state agency, provides us with those prices. The increase is evident, we will all pay for it. It is not a popular measure, but I call for such legal provisions that regulate this to be changed at the level of Montenegro," he said. is Borančić.

Emir Peričić (DPS) emphasized the role of the Regulatory Agency and said that this price increase cannot be characterized as an arbitrary imposition on citizens, and three other opposition councilors resented this proposal, and their main argument was that ViK received the largest increase. in finance with today's budget rebalancing, five times higher.