Mykolaiv City Council members did not approve the city’s heat supply plan due to its confidential nature

The Mykolaiv City Council’s Standing Committee on Housing and Public Utilities did not support the draft resolution to approve the city’s heat supply plan. Council members stated that they could not vote on a document they were unable to review because it was marked “For Official Use Only.”

This became known during a meeting of the relevant committee of the Mykolaiv City Council on September 21.

A representative of the Department of Energy explained that the heat supply scheme had been developed in accordance with legal requirements and approved by the relevant ministry. However, during the review of the document, it was classified as “For Official Use Only,” so the city council cannot make it public or provide it to council members for review.

According to the official, an official letter from the ministry regarding the approval and adoption of the plan was attached to the draft resolution. At the same time, the council members themselves cannot view the document.

During the discussion, council members emphasized that they need at least a mechanism for accessing such materials. In particular, they proposed organizing a review of the document in a special room with access logging or establishing another procedure provided for by law.

Ultimately, the draft resolution was put to a vote with a proposal to further address the issue of access to the document. Two deputies supported it, four abstained, so the resolution was not adopted.

Instead, the committee unanimously instructed the legal department to provide clarification regarding the status of restrictions on access to information and the opportunities for deputies to review such documents. Also, at the next session, a representative of“Mykolaivoblteploenergo” is to be asked to briefly explain to the deputies the general structure of the heat supply system without disclosing specific addresses or other sensitive information.

Андрій Колісніченко