Политика

We thank "Association for Velingrad" for the active position on the problems of local self-government. The Municipality of Velingrad for many years needed a corrective in the face of civil society. We are glad that we manage to see each other in the opposite mirror and that we can openly talk about the pressing management problems of the municipality. The municipal council has always been open to contacts and dialogue with the non-governmental sector and civil associations. An example is the repeated meetings and initiatives that the Municipal Council organizes. In the past 2006. held a national conference on balneology and balneology tourism, meeting of wood processors with Deputy Minister Yurukov and NUG, several meetings with your association on the problems of tourism and distribution of the tourist fee, the problems of cleanliness, etc. Also under the patronage of the Municipal Council, the construction of a tourist interactive information board and online reservations in the city center are currently being finalized. One of the recent initiatives was the formation of a Local Initiative Group "Velingrad-Rakitovo", for whose chairman a representative from your association was elected. Not to mention the repeated meetings of the association with the chairman of the municipal council Nejat Kehayov, to which he always responded.
Unfortunately, the latest publication in the Tempo newspaper sees ill-intention and playing on an election theme in order to extract political dividends for the upcoming local elections. The association has an ambition to contribute to the development of the city and the municipality, but there is no real action in this direction so far. As for the development of the city's infrastructure, everyone, including us municipal councilors, is unhappy and ashamed of its deplorable condition. Unfortunately, the financial capabilities of the municipality are weak and for the time being this issue is still difficult to resolve. If the city's infrastructure was handled with queries, there would be exemplary streets in Velingrad by now. It would be better instead to ask the local authorities where the proceeds from the resort fee are, the honorable representatives of the association to assist the municipality in its collection, because from the plan-extract for the received funds from the tourist fund it is evident that a large part of the hoteliers do not pay a resort fee. You can't have elite hotels paying 200-300 leva a year.
It is good that the association raises the issue of the growing generation and the lack of sports grounds. But we want to recall that it is at "Association for Velingrad" that the Municipal Council voted to give municipal land for the construction of mini courses under the "Hettrick" program, but so far no real action in this direction.
In connection with the claim of the municipality to the company "Beev and Beev" we specify that on two court instances the company won the cases. And District Court - Pazardzhik and Court of Appeal - Plovdiv categorically ruled that the municipality has paid 208 000 levs legally to the company. The court's motive is that the firm has carried out the agreed clean-up activities. Moreover, the court not only ruled in defense of the firm, but also ordered the municipality to pay the costs of the case. And this is well known to the association because its chairman and other businessmen won similar cases against the municipality.
The case with the municipal councilors Atanaska Hrischeva and Snezhana Veleva, who are respectively the manager of OP "Sports Properties and Beaches" and director of the Historical Museum, is solely within the competence of the Municipal Election Commission. On this occasion there is also an inquiry in the "Legal Department" at the National Assembly and from there we were also told that this problem is solely from the competence of the OIC. There are no final provisions on the applicability of the law in the existing situations in the amendments to the LMSMA. In the current Municipal Council, a political consensus has been reached for a new rulebook to be adopted by the new Obs. The motive is that there are a few months left until the local elections and a new edit of the ZMSMA and ZMI is forthcoming. It is groundless to claim that eventually, if Chryscheva and Veleva are removed as municipal councilors, all decisions, voted and by their vote, are attacked in court. The law does not provide for such actions, they are legitimate advisers until the OIC rules. And in the response of the "Legal Department" to the National Assembly it is clearly said that "the decisions of the OIC have no retroactive effect".
The Municipal Council supported the Local Initiative Group "For the Municipality of Velingrad" because it meets the requirements for the composition of the Leader program, it is registered in the court and is the first to make such a request to the Municipal Council. The Governing Council is only the body that will coordinate the activities. The founders of the association are businessmen, representatives of the non-governmental sector with proven experience. The City Council is ready to support any other initiative in this direction. The interpretation of the change of managers of municipal companies is also inaccurate. Under the Commercial Companies Management Ordinance, it is unacceptable for a manager to be acting temporarily for three years, and such were the cases with Stroycom Ltd. and VKTV Ltd. Therefore, the OCC launched a competition procedure. And as far as their salaries, enough media noise has been raised, they are not a secret and everyone can check how they are formed by law. This week, an extraordinary session will be held to accept VKTV's business plan. Let representatives of the association be present to clarify the problem of the cost of water. Meetings of the Municipal Council, the Standing Committees are open and any citizen can attend. If representatives of "Association for Velingrad" participated in the work of the committees, they would have a real idea of the decisions of the ObS. We respect the opinions of each association, but we can talk about an active civic position not when inquiries are made, but when there are alternative proposals and real actions to work for the development of the city and the municipality. Otherwise, everything else is demagoguery and populism. And it is correct, when such queries are made, to have specific names behind them. Still, the residents of the municipality want to know who represents the "Association for Velingrad"?
Nejat Kehayov, Chairman of the General Assembly and advisors from PG "For Dialogue", "Unification" and MRF