Discussion of the main points and principles of administrative-territorial reform in Ukraine is being considered today at all levels. In order for Lutsk officials to form their opinion on this matter, at an operational meeting at the city executive committee, Deputy Mayor of Lutsk Oleksandr Voliyko spoke about the main proposed changes on behalf of the authors of the relevant draft law.
First of all, he outlined the purpose of carrying out the administrative-territorial reform. It consists in simplifying the system of providing the population with the maximum number of services. The current administrative-territorial system was formed back in the Soviet period and was a consequence of the requirements of that time. Today, the high degree of centralization effectively deprives representative bodies at the local level of leverage over the internal situation. The proposed draft law will significantly expand the powers of these bodies.
The authors of the administrative-territorial reform also propose the following levels of the territorial structure of Ukraine: community, district, region. Oleksandr Voliyko noted that, in accordance with the proposed changes, oblasts will be neither merged nor divided. Only settlement councils will be enlarged into communities, and districts will be enlarged. It is interesting that a city with a population of more than 70 thousand will be designated as a city-district, and with a population of more than 750 thousand – as a city-region. Characteristically, such cities will not be part of districts and regions, respectively. The deputy mayor also informed about the proposed changes in the functions of the regional state administration, the regional and city councils, noting that the proposed structure of the latter body, in his opinion, is insufficiently elaborated. However, the variant of administrative-territorial reform proposed by the authors is not final; its principles and main provisions will be repeatedly discussed and refined.