1.) On April 4, parliamentary inquiries by the head of the "Lutsk European" faction, Dmytro Moskvych, were prepared and sent to the addressees. The inquiry to the head of the housing and communal services department of the city executive committee, T.M. Semeniuk, concerned the provision of full information on budget financing of works on the installation and reconstruction of road surfaces in the city of Lutsk in 2003-2005, the criteria and mechanisms for selecting contractors, requirements for the quality of works, the existence of city budget arrears for the performance of works, and so on. In Tetiana Semeniuk's response, received on May 6, all requested information was provided except for two significant things – nothing was said about the criteria for selecting contractors or the responsibility of contractor organizations for poor-quality performance of works. Thus, we consider the response incomplete, aimed at concealing important information, and therefore prepared a corresponding appeal to law enforcement agencies.
A number of questions are also raised by other information contained in T. Semeniuk's response. For example, how was it possible in 2004 to spend 6 million 945 thousand hryvnias on the arrangement and repair of road surfaces if the total approved volume of expenditures for the improvement of the city amounted to about 5 million 200 thousand hryvnias? Why did more than 89% in 2003 and almost 87% in 2004 of city budget expenditures on the arrangement and repair of roads go to the enterprise "Lutsksavtodor"? Why, as of April 1, 2005, does the city's debt for completed road works to just one enterprise, "Lutsksavtodor," approach 3 million hryvnias?
2.) A similar inquiry was sent to the director of the enterprise "Lutsksavtodor," M.D. Tkachuk, since in 2003-2004 alone this enterprise performed works worth about 13 million hryvnias using budget funds. No response to the said inquiry has been provided to date, which grossly violates paragraph 2 of Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine "On the Status of Deputies of Local Councils." Regarding this fact, the "Lutsk European" faction will appeal to the regional prosecutor's office.
3.) Inquiries regarding financial support for works on the installation and reconstruction of road surfaces in the city of Lutsk were also sent to the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleh Rybachuk and the head of the Volyn Regional State Administration Volodymyr Bondar. These inquiries concerned the possible allocation of funds from the state and regional budgets. No response to the inquiry to O. Rybachuk was received. We have prepared a repeat inquiry. In his response, the head of the Regional State Administration, Volodymyr Bondar, informed that the preparation of proposals for the distribution of regional budget funds for the construction and repair of roads is carried out by the Road Service in the region. An inquiry to the said service will be sent in the near future.
4.) At the session of the Lutsk City Council held on April 14, by an absolute majority, the deputies supported the inquiry of the "Lutsk European" faction to the city mayor Anton Kryvytskyi regarding the improvement of city authorities' policy in the field of road construction and reconstruction of motor roads. The inquiry contained the following proposals:
• To instruct the relevant executive subdivisions to carry out a full inventory (passportization) of Lutsk's city motor roads, determining their length, current technical condition, annual maintenance cost, specifics of traffic load, peculiarities of the location of sewerage and other networks, and the cost of capital and routine repairs;
• On the basis of Article 48 of the Law of Ukraine "On Local Self-Government," to create a temporary control commission on road management issues under the city council with the participation of council deputies, experts, representatives of executive bodies of local self-government, and the public. The commission – within a short time frame – to analyze the effectiveness of the use of budget funds for the reconstruction and maintenance of motor roads and compliance with contractual obligations by contractors, especially regarding quality and warranty periods of road operation;
• To initiate the creation of a municipal fund "Roads of Lutsk" with the definition of clear procedures for its replenishment and public control over the targeted use of funds;
• To develop a mechanism for attracting, on a contractual basis, funds from individuals and legal entities engaged in regular passenger or freight transportation along the city's motor roads, for the purpose of financing works on the maintenance and reconstruction of road surfaces;
The city mayor must respond to the inquiry and make the response public at the next session meeting. The response to the inquiry must likewise be approved by voting.
Campaign "A European City – a Green City"
Given the catastrophic, in our view, reduction in the number of trees in Lutsk and their chaotic destruction in the process of often forced and not always appropriate "improvement," the Coalition "Lutsk European" will carry out the following steps:
1. Clear definition, by means of adopting a regulatory document of the city council, of the criteria for the emergency condition of green spaces and the expediency of their removal during construction and other works;
2. Establishment of strict material liability for the unauthorized removal of green spaces;
3. A regulated obligation to plant the appropriate number of trees to replace those removed, in the permits for removal;
4. Development and approval of a municipal environmental concept, which must provide for a mandatory assessment of the planning and development of the city's territory from the standpoint of environmental safety and landscape aesthetics;
5. Creation of an environmental control subcommission within the deputy commission of the city council on construction, architecture, and land relations.
The campaign "From Bazaars – to the Market" provides for:
1. A public opinion survey of entrepreneurs at all markets in the city regarding their working conditions and their vision of the prospects for developing their business and the infrastructure of markets in general (over 3000 respondents);
2. Organization of discussions of the research results with representatives of the executive authorities, local self-government, regulatory structures, and development of proposals for improving the operation of markets and supporting market entrepreneurship;
3. Development and approval at a session of the city council of a long-term market development program (for 5-10 years), taking into account architectural-construction, land, and other issues;
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PUBLIC COALITION "LUTSK EUROPEAN" ANNOUNCES A CAMPAIGN – "EUROPE BEGINS WITH ROADS!"