Photo: Valentina Mincheva
The councillors in the small Shumen municipality of Nikola Kozlevo (5,326 inhabitants) voted themselves higher salaries on the eve of the new political season. At the last session in July, the proposal by the chairman of the local parliament, Khalil Ali, to increase the remuneration was unanimously approved, according to the decisions published on the municipality’s website.
The salaries of councilors will increase by 15% for regular sessions and will become BGN 690. Until now, the remuneration for a regular session was BGN 600. The payment for an extraordinary session remains BGN 200.
Remuneration for participation in committees is also increasing – BGN 170 for the chair and BGN 150 for members of standing committees. Until now, regular members were paid BGN 100.
As grounds for the higher remuneration, Khalil Ali cites only the Local Self-Government Act, which entitles councilors to receive up to 70% of the average salary of the municipal administration.
A year ago, in July 2024, the councillors in Nikola Kozlevo doubled their remuneration for participating in sessions – from BGN 300 to BGN 600. The remuneration of the regular members of the six standing committees also doubled – from BGN 50 to BGN 100.
This year, the increase in their salaries is more modest – 15% more per session and a 50% increase for participation in a committee. The new remuneration will come into effect retroactively from July 1, 2025.
How much does the municipal council in Nikola Kozlevo cost?
The 2025 budget allocates over BGN 250,000 for the salaries of the 13-member municipal council in Nikola Kozlevo. Of this amount, BGN 56,000 is for staff under employment contracts (the chair of the local parliament), and remuneration outside employment contracts is BGN 147,079.
A further BGN 46,300 is earmarked for social security contributions and BGN 1,950 for “other remuneration and payments to staff”.
According to the regulations, the salary of the chair of the municipal council is determined as a percentage (90%) of the mayor’s salary. The chair of the local parliament also has BGN 7,800 for “representational expenses” for the year.
Remuneration of the mayor’s team
The annual remuneration of Kozlevo Mayor Ismail Ibryam in 2024 is BGN 51,062 on a tax basis, i.e. after deductions. The data is from the declarations of public figures published on the website of the Commission for Counteracting Corruption (KPK). In addition to his salary, Ibryam has declared available funds in the amount of BGN 58,500, indicating “savings and salaries” as the source.
The mayor will also have BGN 15,600 in “representational” expenses for the year.
The deputy mayor of Nikola Kozlevo, Antoaneta Georgieva, has an annual salary of BGN 35,642. The second deputy mayor, Sevgin Ahmed, has a salary of only BGN 4,187 for 2024.
