Members of Zestaponi Municipal Board Requested Increase of Their Stipend

Mari Tabidze, Zestaponi

On November 27, session of the Zetaponi municipal board was held in noise. Part of board members protested when chairman of the budget commission requested increase of board members’ stipend.

Board members demanded 1300 lari stipend instead 128 lari. Discussion of this issue caused controversy between board chairman and board member Koba Gochaleishvili from the National Movement. Gochaleishvili requested to increase his and five more board members’ stipends. Initially this discussion turned into disagreement with other board members and chairman of the budget commission and later into the quarrel with the chairman.

Before this session, Financial-Budget Commission of the Zestaponi municipal board held session which was also held in noise. The commission chairman raised several important questions at the meeting. The noise was caused by the request to increase stipend for the board members, who do not receive salaries.

Board member Kakha Shavgulidze said it is unfair when public officials get several thousand lari salaries whilst board members do not get at all. However, they also have plenty of work to do.

Chairman of the Zestaponi municipal board Merab Maskharashvili said. “Members of the municipal board receive gross 160 lari as a reimbursement for their operating expenses and not as a salary; it makes 128 lari net. Five-member group submitted their recommendations on paying 1 300 lari stipend to each board member that is absurd because district budget cannot allocate such a high stipends for board members. When we speak about expenses, the board members should also provide relevant documents to prove relevant expenditures.”

Member of Zestaponi municipal board Oleg Abashidze said: “Voters stand behind me who are interested in every article of the district budget; they want to know where and how the budget money will be spent. In order to provide them with the information, we should meet population. So, I think board member needs 1 300 lari to travel and meet voters but we could have agreed on lower stipend either. What we currently receive to cover our expenses, is not enough at all.”

There is president’s decree, based on which chairman of the municipal board can receive salary of 2 750 lari, chairmen of the commissions and fractions get 1 350 lari and board members – 128 lari. The board members protested this misbalance.

After situation calmed down, Zestaponi municipal board passed resolution, based on which board members will receive 600 lari stipend instead requested 1 300 lari and this project will be forwarded to the parliament of Georgia and relevant institutions for further discussion.