The municipal administration in Tryavna was heavily criticized for the way it calculated the costs of administrative services provided to citizens.
The debate erupted during the regular meeting of the Municipal Council in the town, at which Mayor Dencho Minev (GERB) tabled for discussion changes to the Ordinance on the Administration of Local Taxes and Service Prices. He cited the introduction of the euro and the leading role of municipalities in ensuring “transparent and smooth change” as the main reasons for the change.
However, the former mayor of Tryavna, Silvia Krasteva (now a municipal councilor from the local VMRO-BND coalition), accused Minev’s team of making unfounded calculations and called some of the calculations “completely absurd.” Her colleague Boyan Grozev was more lenient in his assessment, but he also said that the calculations “did not sound logical.”
A fivefold increase in the “dog” fee
was proposed by the municipality of Tryavna, but the administration failed to defend the increase from BGN 5 to BGN 20 per year. According to the calculation, the direct municipal cost of keeping a domestic dog is BGN 17, but “what exactly is the service provided by the municipality?” asked Boyan Grozev (Local Coalition “We Are Coming”) after “there is no dog park in Tryavna, nor facilities for pets in city parks.”
“In this case, a mower in Tryavna would have to receive a monthly salary of BGN 2,500 with social security contributions. There is no way to calculate something like that. It means that people have to mow by hand, but fuel is included (in the calculation).”
And he advises the administration: “Look into these things, and it became clear at the standing committee meeting that these calculations are made after the fact. You said that you would present them additionally, but it should be the other way around.”
Silvia Krasteva compares the cost of two fundamentally different services. Issuing a reference for bailiffs costs 22 leva for labor, which, according to her, takes “three minutes maximum,” while cleaning a grave costs 24 leva for labor, which, again according to Krasteva, takes two or three hours.
“There are places where good justification can be made, and others where it cannot; every expense must be carefully considered,” Mayor Minev replies laconically.
The higher fees are not because of the euro, but because of the general increase in the cost of everything.
This is not stated in the Tryavna mayor’s reasons for the proposed changes to the local ordinance, but it is more than clear. The good news is that not all fees and service prices are going up, and some are only going up slightly. Additional services in kindergartens, such as foreign language lessons, music and dance lessons, will cost BGN 1.50 per hour – BGN 15 per month. The issuance of a property sketch will increase from BGN 15 to BGN 20 for a standard service (up to 14 days) and BGN 40 for an express service within three working days.
The cost of issuing a certificate of tolerance has risen dramatically – from BGN 10 to BGN 50, while a certificate of tax due or paid will now cost BGN 10 for standard service and BGN 20 for express service, compared to the previous cost of BGN 4. The cost of a tax assessment certificate has risen to BGN 20, compared to the previous cost of BGN 8. The price for a standard service will be BGN 20 and BGN 20 for an express service, compared to the current BGN 4. The price for a tax assessment certificate will be BGN 20, compared to the current BGN 8.
According to local residents, Tryavna is a very expensive town because it is visited by many tourists. There is certainly a link between higher prices and tourist traffic, and this certainly leads to higher living and service costs for the people of Tryavna, but the money left in Tryavna by tourists stimulates business development and maintains the cultural wealth of the town. However, whether this justifies the prices of administrative services is really a matter of careful calculation, which the local authorities in Tryavna have failed to defend.
