Mykolaiv budget to be increased by ₴623 million: money to be spent on salaries, utilities and school meals

Mykolaiv's budget for 2025 is proposed to be increased by UAH 623 million. Photo: Andrii Shynkarenko

Deputies are proposed to increase Mykolaiv's budget for 2025 by more than 600 million hryvnias through government subventions and revenue overperformance. The funds are to be used for education, social support, school meals and financing of utilities.

This was discussed during a meeting of the budget committee of the city council, according to NikVesti.

According to Vira Sviatelyk, director of the Finance Department, the community's budget revenues for 2025 are planned to be 6 billion 430 million hryvnias, and expenditures — 7 billion 65 million hryvnias. Additionally, the budget will increase by 300 million hryvnias due to the expected overperformance of the revenue side and another 323 million hryvnias from state subventions received during the intersessional period.

The largest revenues relate to the education sector — an additional 284 million hryvnias in educational subventions, 4 million 466 thousand hryvnias for transferred expenditures in the education sector, 1 million 180 thousand hryvnias for additional payments to teachers and 3 million 612 thousand hryvnias to improve hot meals for primary school students. The community will also receive 30 million 250 thousand hryvnias as part of the Ukraine Recovery Programme.

A meeting of the budget committee of the Mykolaiv City Council on 2 September. Photo: NikVesti

The main areas of distribution of additional funds:

• Executive Committee — 44 million 600 thousand hryvnias;

• «Regional Guard» — 10 million hryvnias;

• Defence Forces — 19 million 900 thousand hryvnias;

• Department of Education — 60 million hryvnias (including 21 million 900 thousand hryvnias for salaries, 14 million hryvnias for utilities, 14 million hryvnias for children's meals);

• Healthcare Department — 15 million hryvnias for utilities;

• Department of Social Protection — 29 million 500 thousand hryvnias for compensation for preferential travel;

• Department of Culture — 12 million hryvnias (including 9 million hryvnias for the zoo);

• Department of Sports — 15 million hryvnias (1 million for salaries, 1 million 200 thousand for one-time remuneration to teachers);

• Department of Housing and Communal Services — 95 million (of which 20 million hryvnias is the authorised capital of «Oblteploenergo» for cogeneration units and salaries to employees of utility companies).

The city council notes that most of the funds will be used to maintain utilities, pay for education, culture, sports, and healthcare, as well as to compensate for social benefits and energy costs.

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A separate discussion during the meeting was caused by the funding of the «Regional Guard». It is proposed to allocate an additional 10 million hryvnias for its maintenance.

The deputies noted that 20 million hryvnias had already been allocated from the city budget in the first half of the year, and that about 40 million hryvnias is spent on this structure annually.

«We actually finance it ourselves by transferring funds as a subvention,» said Maksym Kovalenko, a deputy.

«This is a very expensive pleasure, especially since the local government receives almost nothing from it,» said Andrii Yantar, a member of the parliament.

Deputy Oleksandr Bereza emphasised that the company receives substantial money from the city budget, but the benefits for the city are not always obvious.

«The company is indeed heavily financed from the city budget, but on the other hand, the city is constantly facing cases of vandalism. Recently, there was a case when a sign on the Lower Embankment was destroyed. Maybe it is worth discussing with the management of the «Regional Guard» what services they can provide to the city. At least to patrol key streets at certain times,» said Oleksandr Bereza.

Andrii Yantar stressed that the funds allocated should have a real return.

«The money should be worked off and earned, and not just received from the budget for free,» said the deputy.

There was also a proposal to suspend the allocation of the additional 10 million hryvnias. However, most members of the budget committee did not support it.

The proposed changes are to be approved by the deputies at the next session of the city council.

As a reminder, Olena Kiseliova, a member of the city council and head of the committee on law and publicity, proposes to return to the deputies the right to draw up the budget of Mykolaiv, taking into account the needs of voters.