Municipality of Bar, which he manages Dušan Raičević from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), heads of bodies and services were appointed in the status of acting (vd) for a period longer than six months, the State Audit Institution (DRI) has determined.
The SAI gave a positive opinion on the financial audit of the final budget of the Municipality of Bar for 2024, while it gave a qualified opinion on the audit of the regularity of operations, because it determined that the municipality operated contrary to several laws and regulations. This concerns irregularities in the legal status of local government officials.
The SAI report, completed earlier this month, first mentions the Secretary of the Secretariat for Property and Investments, who was appointed for the third time as acting secretary on January 10, 2024, and was appointed as secretary on June 20, 2024, based on a public competition. Stefan Šušter (SD) has been holding the top position in that secretariat since April 2023.
The Secretary of the Secretariat for Communal Affairs and Transport was appointed acting on November 13, 2024, and the same status was extended for a second time on May 13, 2025. This position is currently held by Dejan Škerović (DPS), since May last year.
The Chief of the Municipal Police Service has been acting since March 6, 2024, his status was extended for the fourth time on June 6, 2025, and he was appointed on September 1, 2025, based on a public competition. Safet Kocan (DPS) assumed this position on August 9, 2024.
Former Secretary of the Secretariat for Urbanism and Spatial Planning Branko Orlandic He was in the status of acting officer from December 20, 2023 to June 19, 2025, when he was served with a decision on the termination of his acting position, and by the decision on assignment dated August 22, 2025, he became an independent advisor for the legalization of illegal structures.
The secretary's duties are now performed by Ognjen Leković (SD), has been in acting status since July 2025, as stated on the website of the Municipality of Bar. The protector of the property and legal interests of the Municipality was also appointed as acting, starting from March 1, 2024, and the same status was extended for the fourth time on September 1, 2025.
"The municipality granted the chief city architect in the status of acting since April 2, 2024, whose term was extended on October 3, 2024, after the decision on the termination of his duties, the right to compensation from April 3, 2025 for a period of one year, which is not in accordance with Article 60 of the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees," the SAI report states.
Due to all of the above, the SAI recommended to the Municipality of Bar that, in accordance with Article 112 of the Law on Local Self-Government, filling positions in the category of senior management personnel be carried out on the basis of a public competition.
"In accordance with Article 124 of the Law, acting officials should be appointed for a period of up to six months, until the appointment or appointment of persons performing the duties of senior management personnel," they stated.
In June last year, "Vijesti" reported that three secretaries of the Municipality of Bar were working in an acting capacity, although the website of the local government shows that this is the case for six of them, and the Municipality told the newspaper at the time that the data on their online platform was not up to date.
A problem in local communities too
The DRI found irregularities in the part related to local community bodies. As they explained in their report and based on the Decision on Local Communities from 2020, in accordance with the decision of the council, upon previously obtained consent from the competent local government body (in this case, the Secretariat for Local Self-Government), a local community may employ a secretary who works on performing administrative and technical tasks for the needs of the local community.
"The Municipality has eight secretaries of local communities, they are not systematized by the Regulation on Internal Organization and Systematization of Jobs, and they are on the Municipality's payroll and are paid all the benefits that are due to employees in the Municipality (variables, jubilee, severance pay, assistance). Also, the Municipality reports the aforementioned secretaries to the tax authority, not the local community, which has the status of a legal entity," the document states.
In the Rulebook on Internal Organization and Systematization of Job Positions of the Secretariat for Local Self-Government, the municipality has four systematized job positions which, in accordance with the Decision on the Organization and Mode of Work of Local Administration, relate to performing professional and administrative technical tasks for local communities.
The SAI's recommendation is that the Municipality should harmonize the Decision on Local Communities with legal regulations and that it hires local community secretaries in accordance with the Law on Local Self-Government, the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees, and the Labor Law, as a rule based on public advertising.
Service contract for systematized workers
The Municipality of Bar, as determined by the SAI, concluded service contracts for jobs determined by the act on systematization and organization of jobs.
During 2024, 73 temporary contracts were concluded for jobs stipulated in the act on internal organization and job classification. Fourteen employees were employed for an indefinite period of time through a public advertisement.
The SAI recommended that the Municipality should conclude service contracts only for performing tasks that are outside the regular activities of the employer, that is, for performing tasks that are not provided for by the Rulebook on Internal Organization and Job Classification.
"The municipality has not filled out a single application for registration of taxpayers, contributors and insured persons, or Appendix B - registration of a natural person, for employees under a contract of service. The municipality should fill out a single application for registration of taxpayers, contributors and insured persons for employees under a contract of service in accordance with the Regulation on the form and content of the single application for registration of taxpayers, contributors and insured persons in the Central Registry," the document states.
By reviewing the personnel files of employees, the SAI determined that the Municipality does not fill out the E3 form - decision on employment. The local government should report persons who have been hired into permanent employment to the regional unit of the Employment Service of Montenegro on the E3 form in accordance with the regulation on the content, forms and manner of keeping records in the field of employment.
The competent board of the SAI expressed a positive opinion on the financial audit and a qualified opinion on the audit of the regularity of the Municipality's operations.
The financial audit of the final budget of the Municipality of Bar for 2024 determined that the financial statements for 2024 were prepared in all material aspects in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework, and in accordance with the above, the competent board expressed a positive opinion on the financial audit.
In the area of public revenue collection, it was determined that the Municipality does not keep records of the value of claims based on decisions on forced collection, as well as the amount of claims collected on this basis, while decisions for compensation for communal equipping of land are not aligned with the Order on the Method of Payment of Local Public Revenues, because according to the same, the principal debt and interest are paid into the same account.
Regarding the collection of own-source revenues, it was determined that the Department for Local Public Revenues, as of December 31, 2024, was staffed with 27 employees, meaning that 19 positions related to the determination, control and collection of tax liabilities to the Municipality were not filled in the Department, and it was recommended to the Municipality to fill the aforementioned positions.
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