«He started parroting»: Panchenko accused Kantor of deliberately delaying the work of the commission

The chairman of the planning and budgetary commission of the Mykolaiv City Council, Fedir Panchenko, accused council member Serhii Kantor of deliberately delaying the meeting by discussing the number of employees of the city hall and changes in the structure of executive bodies.

This was discussed during the budget committee of the city council on Wednesday, 19 November, according to NikVesti.

The discussion began with a question from deputy Serhii Kantor about the actual number of employees of the city council: how many people actually work, how many positions are vacant and how this relates to the approved number of 1115 officials, as well as why the total number of employees of the city council will not change after the proposed change in structure, despite the elimination of several departments.

Andrii Volkov, manager of the executive committee, explained that the total number of employees in the structure is not changing. He clarified that the staffing levels, actual number of employees and vacant positions are constantly changing: someone is hired, someone resigns, so there is no exact figure now, but in total, about a thousand people work.

«Serhii Anatoliiovych, you probably didn't hear it, but Andrii Serhiiovych has already explained it. This document does not propose anything about the number of employees, because it is fixed in the budget decision. It can only be changed when adopting or amending the budget. It will define the staffing level, but I don't know how many people actually work there,» said Fedir Panchenko, chairman of the Budget Commission.

Serhii Kantor insisted that he would like to see accurate data, in particular for 2022, when some city council employees worked remotely due to the war and migration. He reminded that before the war, a working group was set up to develop the structure of the city council, and it was already understood that the staff needed to be changed both in terms of numbers and functionality.

«During the period when part of the population was leaving, we still performed the functions of the city hall with this number. I would like to see the actual number of employees in '22: who was on site and who worked online. I would like to emphasise that we managed to cope in tense conditions, with fewer citizens. But back then, the salaries in the staff were actually redistributed to bonuses and other payments. Today, we see that two months before the end of the year, we are running out of funds. And we understand that the structure needs to be changed — it is not functionally suitable for us and is financially difficult,» he said.

Kantor insisted that he wanted to hear the average actual figure for the years of war, as he believes it should form the basis of the new structure. The deputy stressed that the city's population has decreased, and therefore, logically, the city hall staff should be smaller — approximately at the level of «700 people», as discussed before the outbreak of full-scale war.

Fedir Panchenko repeatedly urged Kantor to move on to a clear question, noting that he was repeating the same arguments and turning his speech into a monologue.

«Serhii Anatoliiovych, can you hear me? Apparently not. Perhaps there are problems with the connection, but we cannot listen to a long monologue. I don't have all the information about the reduction in functionality,» said Fedir Panchenko.

Serhii Kantor insisted that without this information, councillors cannot understand the logic of the new structure.

«We have been working with fewer people for 4 years of war. I would like to see what the actual number has been over the years so that we do not create a structure larger than the city can afford».

Fedir Panchenko asked Kantor several times to formulate a short question:

«You have spoken for 10 minutes. If you want to talk to just the two of you, be my guest. Ten people just can't listen for 15 minutes,» he said.

After that, the chairman of the commission asked Serhii Kantor to switch off the microphone.

After the discussion, Kantor again asked for the floor and demanded a clear answer about the actual number of employees and its compliance with the new structure. As understanding the actual number of employees is necessary for planning the payroll and functional structure of the city hall.

«Stop mocking your colleagues,» said Fedir Panchenko, emphasising the need to move on to the next items on the agenda.

Serhii Kantor responded by accusing Fedor Panchenko of «gagging him» and not allowing him to get an answer to the key question: what is the actual number of employees in the current structure and what is proposed in the new structure.

«I am listening to you. I hear you repeating the same thing. If, excuse me, you have started parroting and repeat it six times, I don't understand who it is intended for, except to piss off your colleagues,» said Fedir Panchenko.

«No, please tell me, I have the right to receive an answer as a council member,» replied Serhii Kantor.

«You have already been given an answer. I know what your position is and what your goal is — to delay the process so that your colleagues fail the work of the commission. Thank you, Sergey Anatoliiovych, we need this. Besides, last time you spoke for 40 minutes and then said that you simply hadn't read the documents you sent to the commission,» replied Fedir Panchenko.

It should be noted that during the discussion, Fedir Panchenko switched off the microphone of council member Serhii Kantor at least three times, not allowing him to complete his questions, as he was worried that due to the long discussions, in his opinion, the commission would not have a quorum to consider other issues on the agenda, including, in particular, amendments to the programme of socio-economic development of Mykolaiv.

Earlier, we analysed the draft decision on reforming the city council. It envisages the liquidation of two departments — anti-corruption and energy — and the creation of three new units: an internal audit service, an improvement inspection, and a procurement department, as well as massive renaming of existing departments and divisions.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stressed that deputies should not combine representative and executive functions and cannot hold senior positions in the executive committee.

Read also: The price of one day of governance: Operating the Mykolaiv City Government costs nearly ₴1 million a day: Mayor announces major staffing and structural reforms