Independent councilor in the Assembly of the Municipality of Pljevlja Saša Ječmenica He called on citizens not to pay for funeral and market services to the Public Utilities Company, because, as he claims, that company has already collected them from the Municipality of Pljevlja.
"After a detailed analysis, I concluded that the costs of the services provided by the company to citizens (maintenance services of the city cemetery and chapel, market services) are fully financed from the municipal budget, and there are no unpaid costs that would make up the price of their services to citizens. In other words, citizens do not need to pay a second time for what the company has already charged the municipality," Ječmenica told "Vijesti".
The Municipality denied his allegations that citizens, in addition to the construction of the burial site, are only paying part of the actual costs.
Ječmenica said that he came to this information through a detailed analysis of the documentation accompanying the transfer of the municipal budget to that company in the amount of 162.626 euros.
He also claims that the Municipality was damaged by around 170.000 euros in this deal, for which, he believes, someone should be held criminally responsible.
"During 2024, the Municipal Services charged users, individuals and the Municipality of Pljevlja double for the same services in the amount of around 170.000 euros. It is obvious that someone damaged the Municipality's budget for that amount. The motive for such illegal pumping of money into a zombie company will be found by the Municipal Auditor and investigative bodies, after examining all cash flows. Since the competent local government body had to know that it was paying for something that was already being charged from citizens, it is my obligation as a councilor to call on service users to stop all payments to the Municipal Services. There is no court that will allow someone to charge for their services twice," Ječmenica points out.
It clarifies that Article 15 of the Regulation on detailed elements and methodology for determining the prices of utility services states that the price of the service is calculated according to a certain formula.
"It is prescribed that when determining the price of a utility service, the planned volume of utility services and projected costs for the provision of utility services in the period for which the prices are formed are taken into account. Article 15 of the Regulation stipulates that the price of the maintenance service for public cemeteries and chapels is determined based on the costs of maintaining the cemetery and the number of users of the burial sites. The price includes maintaining cleanliness in cemeteries with waste removal, maintenance of roads and paths, lighting, water installations and storm sewers in cemeteries, mowing grass on common areas, next to the main paths and between and around the burial sites, maintenance of common facilities in the cemetery. The attached documentation shows that all maintenance costs are covered by the Municipality," Ječmenica points out.
He also claims that last year the municipality paid 84.122 euros for maintenance work at the Ravni city cemetery.
"The company charged citizens 84.699 euros for cemetery maintenance, although it had already charged the service from the Municipality, which approved a transfer of 2024 euros for the maintenance of the Ravni cemetery and 1.691 euros for the maintenance of the parking lot in front of the chapel every month in 1.845. Funds were also approved for three mowings of the cemetery, for which 32.356 euros were paid. Bearing this in mind, the question arises as to what costs are covered by citizens, if all costs under the Regulation are reimbursed to this Company from the Municipality's budget," said Ječmenica.
For the mowing of closed cemeteries in Varoš and under the General Hospital in May and June 2024, he claims, the municipality allocated 22.443.
"What is at issue here is not only the price of mowing 5,5 hectares, which is 60 percent higher than the price of mowing that the municipality pays Čistoća for the same work, but also the fact that all citizens are witnesses that the closed Muslim cemetery under the hospital is not mowed twice a year (in May and July), because the company has a problem mowing this cemetery even once during the summer season. The company collects 1.502 euros annually from the municipality for the work of removing posters, once every month for cleaning Breznica, it collects 6.668 euros annually from the budget, for the costs of the chapel they charged 6.773 euros via transfer (paid for tools, pellets, water, electricity), or 7.450 euros, through an obviously fictitious contract for painting the chapel, and according to the data from the report on the work of the mayor. I also had the opportunity to personally see that no painting was done, neither outside nor inside. For the maintenance of the market, the Municipal Services charged 35.565 euros from the municipality in 2024, and thus covered all costs, "There were no costs that this Society would charge from market users," said Ječmenica.
Secretary of the Secretariat for Communal Housing Affairs, Roads and Water Vule Macanović he denied Ječmenica's claims.
"The income of the company Communal Services is generated from the provision of funeral services within the Ravni city cemetery and the provision of market services, i.e. the rental of stalls, boxes and business premises. We are witnesses that the city market is mostly empty and there are very few tenants in the market. Income from the provision of funeral services is of a variable nature and the employees of the company cannot influence the number of funerals, the number of graves sold and the amount of other income related to the funeral business. Due to the highlighted problems, the company is in a very unenviable situation and survival and business are a very serious problem. The company is also burdened with outstanding obligations from previous years," said Macanović.
He said that due to social problems, the Municipal Assembly is not allowing the company to increase service prices based on which it could function at the level of simple reproduction.
"Considering the aforementioned problems dating back to the establishment of the company, since 2016, the management of the municipality of Pljevlja, precisely due to the fact that prices are not allowed to be set to cover total real costs, has adopted the company's request for compensation for maintenance costs, based on allocations from the municipal budget. Thus, the application of payment of fees for the maintenance of public areas in the cemetery began. In addition to the above, payments are also made for the maintenance of the hygiene of the city market and the Breznica River in the part of its flow along the city market," said Macanović.
He points out that the monthly gross salary in the company for the funeral service and market service work units requires around 23.000 euros, and that the real income is around 20.700.
"It is clear that the gross compensation of employees cannot be paid from the generated revenues, and when other business costs are included, it is concluded that the company can function by covering costs through contracted work or by increasing the price of services to the public," said Macanović.
He reminds that in addition to the maintenance of the Ravni city cemetery, the municipal budget also pays for the maintenance of cemeteries that are out of use - the Islamic religious community under the hospital, the cemetery in Varoš and the cemetery in Glavica (above Moćevac).
Macanović: Citizens pay only part of the actual costs
Macanović said that in addition to the construction of the burial site, citizens pay only part of the actual costs.
"This is specifically the maintenance of the burial site within the limits of the size of the grave, while other costs of maintaining the total area of the cemetery and infrastructure facilities within the boundaries of the cemetery are paid from the municipal budget, and according to the Regulation on the detailed elements and methodology for determining the price of utility services, they should be collected from citizens. So, there is no dilemma, one service is paid only once, not twice as claimed by councilor Ječmenica. If the Founder decides to accept prices at the level of the real one that citizens would pay, then the fee from the budget would certainly be abolished," said Macanović.
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