Sofia Municipal Councilors to Vote 2013 Budget

The Sofia Municipal Council is to review and adopt Sofia's budget for 2013 at a Thursday sitting.

In 2013, the Sofia Municipality will have a budget of BGN 1.214 B, compared to BGN 1.305 in 2012, according to reports of dnevnik.bg.

In order to be adopted, the budget needs the approval of at least 32 of the total of 61 municipal councilors, with center-right ruling party GERB having a majority of 33 representatives.

The main priorities in the 2013 budget of the Sofia Municipality are education, investments in infrastructure, and environmental protection.

A total of over BGN 2 M has been earmarked for the construction of 16 new kindergartens, for the asphalt surfacing of boulevards and streets, and repairs of sidewalks and street lights, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT).

The Sofia Municipality will receive a total of over BGN 280 M under three operational programs and a part of the sum will be used to continue the construction of the Sofia subway.

Sofia Municipal Councilors will also review the report of the Chairman on the Supervisory Board of the Privatization Agency of the capital, which says that over BGN 450 000 in honorariums have been awarded at the Municipality.

It was reported Wednesday that the main reason for the bonus payments was the low basic salary of Municipal Councilors of around BGN 200.

The Thursday sitting is to determine whether the additional financial incentives for Municipal Councilors will be changed to ensure greater transparency.