Volunteer firefighters deserve more

The non-governmental sector in Tivat asks the local administration to increase budget allocations to support the work of NGOs, i.e. to bring that amount to the maximum level of one percent of the current municipal budget according to current local regulations.

In Tivat, there is currently a public debate on the Draft Municipal Budget for 2025, which is set at 32.667.000 euros, which is 11 percent more than this year. Of that, the capital budget intended for the construction of local infrastructure and public facilities amounts to slightly more than 15 million, while the current budget, which finances the work of the municipal administration and money transfers to other budget users, is estimated at around 17,5 million euros.

A total of 100.000 was allocated from this current budget to support the work of the NGO sector euros.

Those funds are intended for financing NGOs of special importance (Musical and Educational Society Tivat, Subsidiary of the Bokel Navy, KUD Boka), which receive 40 percent of this amount, while the remaining 60 percent is distributed to other NGOs. In addition to these dedicated funds, the work of Tivat's NGO sector also helps in other ways, with various other budget items, primarily those intended to support the organization of various cultural events in the city.

Nevertheless, the representatives of the NGO sector who participated in the round table specially prepared for them, said that the city would have to increase the dedicated allocations for supporting the work of NGOs, i.e. bring them to the maximum foreseen level of one percent of the current budget through a local decision on the financing of the NGO sector. budget. Also, the NGO sector believes that, considering their general social importance and role in the protection and rescue system at the local level, another way should be found to finance the volunteer fire brigades, of which there are three in Tivat and which currently gather around 160 volunteer firefighters. Considering that voluntary firefighting societies were founded and registered as non-governmental organizations, they currently have no other option to receive funds from the city budget, except to "fight" for them in a competition with other classical NGOs, which in this way apply to the Municipality in various ways. their specific projects, most of which are not nearly as important as the work of volunteer firefighters in the system of preventing and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters and other emergency situations that affect citizens.