The Belgrade City Assembly is meeting, and among the agenda items is the city’s budget revision for this year, which shows a deficit of 11.6 billion dinars. The plan to cover this deficit and repay the principal of about 5 billion dinars involves borrowing 12.9 billion dinars and using 3.7 billion dinars of carried-over, unspent funds from previous years.
The city intends to borrow approximately 11.6 billion dinars from domestic banks this year, with an additional 3.3 billion dinars planned for use next year. From these funds, around 6.1 billion dinars are allocated over this and next year to the Secretariat for Communal and Housing Affairs for projects involving communal and traffic infrastructure, as well as cultural and preschool education facilities.
The Secretariat for General Affairs is set to receive 1 billion dinars for facilities related to the communal police, while the Secretariat for Education and Child Protection, together with the Secretariat for Defense, Emergency Situations, and Coordination, will get about 2 billion dinars from these sources for the reconstruction of the “Sveti Sava” elementary school and for modular buildings for the communal police, alongside the establishment of a security platform in educational facilities. This highlights that one of the city’s spending priorities from the borrowed funds is the communal police.
Additionally, about 470 million dinars will be allocated for software and communication needs related to the communal police within the Secretariat for Inspection Supervision.
Approximately 4 billion dinars will be directed to the Secretariat for Investments over the two years, funding projects related to traffic and communal infrastructure, as well as cultural, sports, social, and educational facilities. Environmental protection projects are slated to receive about 1.3 billion dinars.
On the meeting’s agenda are also proposals concerning the city’s borrowing decisions for financing capital investment expenses and for funding the construction of the Palilula–Belgrade sewage system.
Financial matters before the assembly include the proposal for the 2024 budget final account and amendments to the decision on determining the scope of tasks for the city and its municipalities, as well as the allocation of revenues belonging to the city.
