Political Crisis in Pivdennoukrainsk: City Council Session Postponed for the Third Time

In Pivdennoukrainsk, Mykolaiv Oblast, the 69th session of the city council has been postponed once again. Mayor Valerii Onufrienko signed the corresponding order.

According to Suspilne, citing Mayor Valerii Onufrienko, the postponement was due to the mayor’s prolonged sick leave, as well as the need to finalize the procedure for holding the session, whose agenda includes more than 170 items.

The session is now scheduled for July 3 in a hybrid format. To overcome the prolonged political crisis and the lack of a quorum in the city council, the authorities plan to hold a series of meetings with council factions and independent council members.

The city council is also proposing to consider issues in blocks. Specifically, on July 3, they plan to address budgetary and economic issues; on July 6, land and municipal property issues; and on July 7, other matters, including high-profile issues.

The situation regarding a 5.25 million euro grant from the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) is drawing particular attention. The funds are intended for the reconstruction of two sewage pumping stations and a sewage collector.

According to First Deputy Mayor Mykola Pokrova, the grantor agreed to extend the deadline for making a decision to June 16, but the session did not take place on that day.

At the same time, city council officials emphasize that the opportunity to secure funding remains. According to Valerii Onufrienko, consultations are currently underway with the council factions to find a compromise and unblock the council’s work.

The mayor expressed hope that, following the negotiations, council members will be able to return to addressing issues critical to the community, including securing an international grant for infrastructure modernization.

Previously, council members had independently initiated an extraordinary session of the city council due to delays in convening it. The community’s ability to receive a grant of over 5 million euros for the modernization of the sewer infrastructure depended on decisions being made by June 15.

As a reminder, a military administration may be established in the city due to the city council’s prolonged inability to hold sessions and make decisions important to the community. Currently, documents regarding the establishment of a military administration inPivdennoukrainskare under review by the President of Ukraine.

Андрій Колісніченко