City Council Members Request Monthly Salaries

Lado Bichashvili, Shida Kartli

Part of Gori City Council members requests monthly salaries. In accordance to the law on self-governance, city council meets twice per month. According to the law, council members do not receive salaries though local budget shall reimburse expenses the members have for the implementation of their duties. 

Members of the previous municipal board received 150 lari from the local budget to reimburse their transportation expenses during sessions and meetings with voters. In 2012, after the government changed, situation changed in local self-governments and “salary” of municipal board members became 500 lari.

None of the previous municipal board members managed to provide financial documentation that could confirm expenditure of 500 lari per month. Board/council members shall receive reimbursements according to the scheduled sessions and meetings with voters because the law allows only reimbursement of their expenses.

“Municipal board members’ expenses as salaries” – Ketevan Bebiashvili, head of the Gori office of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, assessed the activities of the previous board members. All of them equally received 500 lari regardless the fact they had met population or not.

Council member from the United National Movement Mindia Goderdzishvili said in order to encourage the council member to properly implement his/her duties, they must have monthly salary. “Of course, council/board member need some financial sources to implement his/her duties; at least for fuel.”

Salary issue might be discussed at the next city council session. However, council members have not yet agreed how they will regulate number of meetings with voters and how much money they will need for transportation. The only thing that is regulated by the law is scheduled two council sessions per month. Deputy chairperson of the city council Nino Zurabishvili said the project was not initiated yet and it is necessary to submit well-grounded draft law. “Council member needs funds to implement his/her duties and according to the law budget reimburses their expenses. It is not only my opinion. We have not received the bill yet and I hope they will prepare well-grounded document.”

Council member from majority Tamar Tedliashvili said the deputy must receive certain amount of money based on the provided financial documents. “Deputy must receive reimbursement after he/she provides receipts on expenditure. Board member is authorized to work without salary and when I participated in the elections, I did not hope for additional income from it.”

The nearest session of the city council will resolve problem of deputy reimbursement. Currently, only council/board chairmen, deputy chairs and commission chairpersons receive salaries in accordance to the law. Although previous municipal council increased deputy “salary” from 150 to 500, members of the municipal board completely attended only two sessions throughout four years of their time; one of them was first session of the previous board.