On April 23, a meeting of the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir Region was held in Vladimir. At the event, the main topic for discussion among deputies was the upcoming unification of several districts into municipal districts. We are talking about Melenkovsky and Sobinsky districts. In addition, during the meeting, the people’s representatives approved the annexation of the Murom district (Borisoglebsk and Kovarditskoe rural settlements) to the Murom district.
Let us recall that the reform of local self-government involves the liquidation of urban and rural settlements as municipalities. Instead of districts, districts appear. As a result of the reforms, local councils of people’s deputies will be abolished, while administrations will turn into district departments. Earlier, at public hearings in the Melenkovsky, Sobinsky and Muromsky districts, as well as in the Murom district, participants spoke in favor of unification.
During the discussion, heads of municipalities made reports on the need for local government reform. They spoke about the consequences of the ongoing transformations.
Photo: Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir Region, link
The first to speak about the reform of local self-government was the head of the Sobinsky district administration, Alexander Razov. He noted that a year ago deputies unanimously supported the project to unite the Berezniki and Oserkhovsky rural settlements. The head of the municipality noted that thanks to such optimization, it was possible, on the one hand, to save money, and on the other hand, to concentrate the levers of control in single hands.
“The savings in the first quarter amounted to 800,000 rubles. Over the year it will be about 3 – 4 million rubles”– said Alexander Razov.
The local government figure emphasized that in the small Sobinsky district of 49 thousand people there are still 12 administrations and 175 deputies at the lower level (previously there were 183). In addition, there are 4 more people in rural administrations. They simultaneously deal with the budget, taxes, housing, transport, emergency response, trade, communications, culture, etc. The district manager focused the attention of those gathered on the fact that it was simply impossible to fulfill such a number of responsibilities. In fact, the district administration took over the duties of the lower level of local government. Alexander Razov emphasized that thanks to such management, in 5-6 years it was possible to build a school in Sobinka, two swimming pools, two cultural centers, improve the territory, etc.
“For the first time in the history of the Sobinsky district, 2 clinics are being built in Sobinka and Lakinsk and construction has begun on a sports palace in Lakinsk, where 14,000 people live. Here are the results of the actual decision that we made literally 6-7 years ago.”– noted Alexander Razov.
According to the head of the district, now there is an opportunity to consolidate this practice legally.
Alexander Razov also cited the positive experience of a number of regions in which the merger of districts has already taken place: Kemerovo, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod and Tambov regions.
“The decision (to merge) was made at public hearings by the population in every rural and urban settlement unanimously, and all 175 deputies voted unanimously… let the people exercise their legal right.”– summed up the head of the Sobinsky district.
Photo: Melenkovsky district administration, link
After Alexander Razov, the head of the Melenkovsky district, Andrey Panteleev, made a report on the unification. He noted that at the moment there are 9 municipalities in the territory under his jurisdiction: 1 with the status of a municipal district, 1 urban settlement and 7 rural settlements. The head of the district emphasizes that each of them has its own representative body. As a result, the total number of deputies is currently 106: of which 20 deputies are in the district council, 16 in city and 70 rural settlements. Thanks to the merger, there will only be 1 administration and 1 representative body, which will have a positive impact on management and will save money. The number of deputies will be reduced to 20 people. Accordingly, the costs of maintaining representative bodies of local self-government and elections will decrease.
“In connection with the unification of the municipality, there are many more opportunities for the development of the territory. With the consolidation of budget funds, settlements will have the opportunity to more actively participate in regional federal programs and provide their own co-financing necessary for the population.”,” Andrey Panteleev concluded his speech.
The last speaker was the head of the Murom district, Evgeniy Rychkov. The head of the municipality immediately emphasized that, unlike the Sobinsky and Melenkovsky districts, what is happening is not a transformation, but a unification of the Muromsky district and the Murom district. At the same time, he noted that as a result of the reform, only one level of local government will remain.
The head of the district said that the city is experiencing an industrial boom. He emphasized that Murom is on the verge of development, i.e., it does not have enough current borders to continue expanding enterprises.
In his speech, Evgeny Rychkov noticed a number of oddities in the local government of two municipalities. For example, meetings of the Murom District Council are held in a building that belongs to the district. At the same time, the population of the Murom district is three percent of the population of the Murom district. Thus, the head of Murom emphasized that de facto the district and the okrug are two inseparable units, which for the residents of the region are not divided.
The current situation of local government is extremely inconvenient for residents, says Evgeniy Rychkov. A local government official gave the following example:
“As for rural settlements, I will also give an example. A resident of the village of Panfilova, in order to resolve his issue, must take a bus, get to the city center, transfer to another bus, get to the village of Kovarditsy, and go to the village administration there.”– the head of the Murom district gave an example.
Thus, due to the current structure of municipal government, a comical situation arises when a person must face many problems due to invented designs, says Evgeny Rychkov.
Continuing the discussion about the need to eliminate the lower level of local self-government, the head of the district emphasized that most people have no idea how the functions of the district administration and the administration of a rural settlement differ.
“If you want, test yourself” – suggested Evgeny Rychkov, continuing – “I would ask.. to give people the right to determine for themselves how to build a system of power in their territory. Without imposing on us.. artificial structures, but to support.. what we, the municipalities, heads and people living on the territory, have decided”.
Earlier, deputies of the Legislative Assembly approved a package of laws on the unification of the Melenkovsky and Sobinsky districts, as well as the annexation of the Muromsky district to the Murom district. There was a heated discussion, in which the Communists and Socialist Revolutionaries took part on one side, and United Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party on the other.
Tags: heads districts Vladimir region spoke consequences merger municipalities
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