‘Tightened belts’ policy at Mayor’s Office
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Thursday, September 18
The Tbilisi City Council approved amendments to the Tbilisi budget on September 16. The amendments were approved 33 votes to 5.
According to the city government, the gap in the budget was 30 million GEL and due to this fact, they had to reduce it to 12.5 million GEL.
For now, Tbilisi’s city budget amounts to 772 million GEL. Housing co-ops were funded using GEL 17 million; healthcare and social services GEL 187 million.
The United National Movement (UNM) presented their amendment plan. However owing to the Tbilisi City Hall decision, no one voted for it.
Member of the minority at City Hall, Irakli Abesadze, stated that the UNM aimed at doubling aid for vulnerable families.
“However, they decided that rehabilitating the adjacent areas of the Tbilisi Chancellery and creating comfort for officials was more important,” Abesadze lamented.
Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi Giorgi Khelaia said that the approved budget will be enough to finance urgent events till the end of the year.
Mayor of Tbilisi Davit Narmania said that the former governors of Tbilisi consumed the budget in almost every field, “We are urged to tighten the belts,” Narmania said, adding that the new Tbilisi government strives to save money, including on administrative spending, i.e. salaries and bonuses for City Hall staff, in order to maintain ‘mandatory’ programs, i.e. those associated with healthcare, social services and housing co-ops.
He also informed that vulnerable families will receive 800 GEL instead of 400 GEL if a third child is born, 1,000 GEL instead of 800 when the fourth child is born and 1,500 GEL instead of 1,000 GEL for the fifth child an all following children.
The mayor said that in addition, eight million GEL from the budget has been distributed to regional municipalities to provide social assistance to families in Georgia’s regional areas.
Narmania said that the previous government didn’t allocate money for necessary projects, i.e. preparations for the European Youth Olympic Festival, which is planned for Tbilisi in summer 2015.
Narmania explained that none of the activities related to social protection would be hindered.
