Electoral Support Programme

Electoral Support Programme

Citizens nearby - multi-store garage in Ohrid

This initiative will monitor the implementation of the electoral promise related to the construction of a multi-store garage in municipality of Ohrid and the level of citizen participation and inclusion in the process of urban planning. This will enable the public to get better insight in the current developments, the dynamics and the remaining activities of the local self-government regarding this issue. Community mobilization activities will include: meeting with relevant representatives of the local self-government and requesting the feasibility study for construction of the garage to be shared; public outreach and presentation of the findings on the local media and similar.

The subject matter of the local monitoring is the construction of a multi-store garage in Ohrid.

Implementer
Association for multicultural integration - Inclusion Ohrid
Location
Ohrid
Budget
300000 denars
Status
Active

MONITORING MATRIX

November 2022

December 2022

January 2023

February 2023

March 2023

April 2023

May 2023

June 2023

  • I. Status of the monitored item
      Monitoring criteria Status Brief description and comments Source of information
      1 Implementation
      1.1 A decision has been reached to start the implementation of the monitored item Nо There is no decision for starting the implementation of the election promise. Mayor of the municipality of Ohrid, Head of the urban planning department, Secretary of the Municipality of Ohrid
      1.2 A procurement process is being/has been carried out related to the monitored item Yes Yes, with the project development and planning documentation, including the preparatory activities related to the construction of the multi-level garage, as outlined in the Development Program of the Munic. of Ohrid, under the category "Land Development". In the Development Program of the Municipality of Ohrid, under the category "Land Development" for the period 2022-2024, Section B: "Asphalting and reconstruction of streets and access roads," item number 3 is "Development of project and technical documentation for the construction of a multi-level garage." An allocation of 4,300,000.00 denars is planned for this purpose. (Official Gazette of the Municipality of Ohrid, issue no. 17 dated December 30, 2021, page 17).
      1.3 Informative meetings and gatherings with stakeholders have been held Yes Yes! The Municipality of Ohrid is actively addressing the issue that we are monitoring. Over the past 6 months, informative meetings have been held by "Inkluzija" with almost all the stakeholders involved. The Municipality of Ohrid is actively addressing the monitored issue. A feasibility study has been conducted, and up to this point, a public call has been issued for conceptual solutions, specifically a competition for the selection of a conceptual solution under number 12414/2020. https://e-nabavki.gov.mk/PublicAccess/home.aspx#/dossie/274b470b-2082-4339-8f20-44822d2468c9/6
      1.4 An implementation plan has been prepared for implementation of the monitored item Nо It has not in detail a prepared plan for project implementation. Head of the urban planning sector
      1.5 Necessary prerequisites to start with the implementation have been provided (e.g. permits, preparatory activities, staff, etc.) Nо The Mayor of Ohrid responds to media questions regarding received conservation approval for a multi-store garage / 02.13.2022. Urbanism, architects from "Institute and Museum" and the secretary are mentioned too for providing the necessary documentation. Through a conversation on 03/20/2023, the secretary of the municipality of Ohrid pointed out this documentation remains stuck in the institutions' competencies, thus new remarks about the project are constantly being pointed out, while the "Institute and Museum" says that the request is sent back to the project developer with a list of remarks, and then an expert team decides on these remarks.
      1.6 The municipality is implementing specific activities from the implementation plan Yes Yes. So far, a competition for the conceptual solution is implemented, and the creation of a detailed plan is underway. A positive opinion from the National Institution "Institute for the Protection of Cultural of Cultural Monuments and Museum" - Ohrid. Public debate. The public debate is being implemented by the Association for Multicultural Integration "Inkluzija", where representatives of the local government, experts in the field, civil society organizations, representatives of political parties, representatives of youth political groups, architects, and all interested citizens have the opportunity to actively discuss and raise questions to the relevant authorities regarding this issue. Among other things, participants in the public debate had the opportunity to follow the presentation of the urban analysis of the feasibility study for the multi-level garage (SWOT analysis) and the comparative analysis with other multi-level garages in the country and the region, prepared by "Kolektiv" ARCHID.
      1.7 Initial results from implementation of the monitored item are visible Nо There are no visible initial results from the implementation of the promise. Visible onsite Media tekst https://tvm.mk/news/ohrid/katnata-garaza-zaglavena-vo-birokratska-lavirint/ https://www.ohridnews.com/so-izgradbata-na-katnata-garazha-%d1%9ce-se-reshat-dolgogodishnite-problemi-so-soobra%d1%9ca%d1%98niot-metezh-vo-ohrid/ https://kurir.mk/republika/opstini/javna-rasprava-za-potrebata-od-katna-garazha-vo-ohrid/?fbclid=IwAR3-wJ7IlJwWsg-XSA3MQKMM-zRXFaVLKOxFLluOfjHUlLbIggfgsDE5LHE https://lider.mk/javna-rasprava-za-potrebata-od-katna-garaza-vo-ohrid/?fbclid=IwAR384yZnrctVjZfncqSO-AqTQzZHV_BiWSorBgyjdAeqAQ5SRdF7x-9oyO8 https://ohridpress.com.mk/?p=172361&fbclid=IwAR1kLn_CmzHwOxKvw8sqlbuXF9GABKkl-L3CwStBa6224yBhizWjFYMm1zI https://www.webohrid.com/javna-debata-na-tema-katna-garaza-nova-moznost-za-ohrid/?fbclid=IwAR1VhpxuHLeIX8zPDhaKsg86H-7QqXi-K7S74ZYPYO55ErzvaPV_qOc5hEk
      2 Stagnation
      2.1 Lack of funds in the municipal budget Nо The project will be fully implemented with funds provided by the municipality. Public debate. The public debate is being implemented by the Association for Multicultural Integration "Inkluzija," where representatives of the local government, experts in the field, civil society organizations, representatives of political parties, representatives of political youth organizations, architects, and all interested citizens had the opportunity to actively discuss and raise questions to the relevant authorities regarding this issue. Among other things, participants in the public debate had the opportunity to attend the presentation of the urban analysis of the feasibility study for the multi-level garage (SWOT analysis) as well as the comparative analysis with other multi-level garages in the country and the region, prepared by "Kolektiv" ARCHID. https://www.ohridnews.com/so-izgradbata-na-katnata-garazha-%d1%9ce-se-reshat-dolgogodishnite-problemi-so-soobra%d1%9ca%d1%98niot-metezh-vo-ohrid/
      2.2 Lack of one/some of the basic prerequisites Yes Conservation approval from the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of North Macedonia has not yet been obtained. During a conversation on March 20, 2023, the secretary of the Municipality of Ohrid indicated that the documentation is currently in the hands of the institutions, and new remarks regarding the project are consistently being raised. Meanwhile, the "Institute and Museum" stated that the request has been returned to the project developer with a list of remarks, after which a professional team will decide on the remarks.
      2.3 The implementation of the monitored item is no longer a priority Nо About the priority of the election promise, Inclusion spoke with the mayor of Ohrid municipality, the secretary of Ohrid municipality, urbanism, Councilors from the council of Ohrid municipality, the director of PE "Biljanini Izvori"... The program of VMRO-DPMNE for the local elections of 2021 (https://vmro-dpmne.org.mk/%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%ba%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%bd%d0%b0-%d1%81%d0%b0%d0%bc%d0%be%d1%83%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%b0%d0%b2%d0%b0?fbclid=IwAR26NRVyn3b6Dcw03fs1ENwKibRSg7lL7EGNnIXzEi0toNcd_egXMWSyd-A) Mayor of Ohrid. The mayor points out that the multi-store garage stands out through the meetings with citizens as the top 3 priority solutions for the municipality of Ohrid, the councilors of the Council of the Municipality of Ohrid, who are in opposition, as well as the head of the urban planning sector, point out the same thing through a conversation with the implementers of the initiative, about the importance of this project via conversation from 20.03.2023 with the mobilizer and the president of "Inclusion", the secretary of the municipality of Ohrid, Mr. Aleksandar Kiteski, points out the importance of parking lots and the capacity of parking spaces available to the public enterprise of parking lots at the municipality of Ohrid we also talked with the director of PE "Biljanini Izvori", Mr. Teodor Andonoski, while at the public debate implemented on 31.03.2023, the present citizens point out that the election promise is a priority that is already overdue by all previous management structures of the local self-government.
      2.4 Halted due to an inspection, investigation, etc. Nо The project has not been cancelled due to those reasons. The Municipality of Ohrid states that the electoral promise has not been halted but is actively being worked on. Mayor of the Municipality of Ohrid. However, the secretary of the Municipality of Ohrid believes that the project has not been stopped; on the contrary, work is being done on it. However, the slow progress is attributed to the administrative maze (specifically the remarks given by the relevant institutions).
      2.5 The reasons for the stagnation of the implementation of the activity are unknown Nо There is no public info available regarding the reasons for the stagnation, although based on previous discussions, it can be inferred that the obstacles are of an administrative nature, i.e. conservation approval from the APCH has not yet been obtained Stakeholders

  • II. Transparency and accountability of the municipality related to the monitored item
      Monitoring criteria Status Brief description and comments Source of information
      1 Information about the status of the monitored item is available on the municipality's website and social network Nо There is no information available on the website of the municipality regarding the project's status even during April. Website of the Municipality of Ohrid (https://ohrid.gov.mk/)
      2 Information about the status of the project is obtained through a Request for Access to Public InformationInformation about the status of the monitored item is obtained through a Request for Access to Public Information Yes Yes! The mobilizers from "Inkluzija" and the project team have officially submitted a request to the Municipality of Ohrid to obtain the feasibility study for the multi-level garage, and it has been delivered on time. During the project, several meetings were held with the local government where we received responses regarding the issue being monitored. An official request was submitted to obtain the feasibility study under archive number 122/2 2022. Additionally, under number 03-16243/1 dated November 22, 2022, we received a CD with an electronic version of the Feasibility Study for the justification of constructing a multi-level garage in Ohrid, with reference number 03-186/19 from March 2019, prepared by the Institute for Material Testing and Development of New Technologies "Skopje" AD Skopje.
      3 Information about the status of the monitored item is shared with stakeholders by municipal officials (via e.g. interviews, focus group discussions, meeting requests etc.) Yes Information about the status of the promise is made available from competent persons in the municipality Information regarding the status of the election promise can be obtained from the Municipality of Ohrid. "Inkluzija" has had several meetings with relevant officials from the local government. However, we did not receive a response for the final meeting with the Head of Urbanism in the month of March. In April, a final meeting was held with the Mayor of Ohrid, Dr. Kiril Petsakov, where the presentation of the previous activities, explanation of the brochure, and delivery of the model, which was prepared by "Inkluzija," took place.
      4 There is practice of informal information sharing by the municipality with affected citizens (e.g. via informal discussions etc.) Yes Yes. The mayor responded positively to our request and discussed the problems of the municipality, specifically this promise. The Mayor of Ohrid responded positively to the request for meetings on this topic with the "Inkluzija" team. The Secretary of the Municipality of Ohrid, the Head of the Urbanism sector, and the Director of the Public Enterprise "Biljanini Izvori" - parking also responded positively. It should be noted that the municipality has a mechanism for "open days," but they are rarely utilized by the citizens.

  • III. Citizen participation in decision-making related to the monitored item
      Monitoring criteria Status Brief description and comments Source of information
      1 The municipality has involved the citizens in decision-making related to the monitored item Nо The municipality did not involve its citizens in the decisions regarding the monitored issue Citizens
      2 Citizens have filed an initiative for participation in decision-making related to the monitored item Nо Граѓаните не се вклучиле со иницијативи за учество во одлуките поврзани со прашањето кое се мониторира. Сепак, според изјавата на градоначалникот, прашањето било поставено како приоритет за решавање за градот. The citizens have not initiated any initiatives to participate in the decisions related to the monitored election promise. The only input from the citizens on this matter has been expressed during several meetings with the mayor, the business community, and others, where it was emphasized that the project is a priority and that it will address many problems faced by the city, particularly the traffic chaos in the central urban area. Mayor of Ohrid. Citizens.
      3 Citizens participate in the implementation of the monitored item with their input and resources Nо The monitored issue represents a capital investment for the municipality, for which various financial sources have been established, and the citizens have not participated by dispensing their contributions and resources. The financial sources for the project (https://ohrid.gov.mk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Sluzben_glasnik_2021_17.pdf)
      4 Mechanisms utilized by the municipality to ensure citizen participation, specifically as related to the monitored item:
      4.1 Public gatherings, debates and forums Nо No, has not organized a public meeting, debate or forum on this issue. On 31.03.2023, "Inclusion" organizes a public debate on the topic: "Multi-store garage - a new opportunity for Ohrid" within the project: "Citizens nearby - multi-store garage in Ohrid' The municipality does not have the practice of frequently organizing public debates, gatherings or forums on such critical issues for citizens. The public debate is implemented by the Association for Multicultural Integration "Inclusion", where representatives of the local self-government, experts from the field, the civil sector, representatives of political parties, representatives of political youth, architects and all interested citizens had the opportunity to actively discuss and pose questions of the authorities on this issue, among other things, the participants of the public debate could follow the presentation of the urban analysis of the feasibility study for the multi-store garage (SWOT analysis) as well as the comparative analysis with other multi-store garages in the country and the region, prepared by "Collective" ARCHIDE." Ljupco Taneski, a representative from the municipality of Ohrid, spoke about the importance of the program determination and implementation of the multi-store garage project in Ohrid, and Zhivka Angeloska, a member of the council of the Ohrid municipality from the ranks of SDSM, spoke about the prospects for the multi-story garage. About the garage and the challenges for the cultural heritage of Ohrid, Goran Patchev, an employee of the NU Institute and Museum - Ohrid, spoke at the public debate, while Mitko Kuzmanoski spoke as an interested party, as a citizen and as a representative of the Ecological Society "ECO LAG" - Ohrid. https://www.ohridnews.com/so-izgradbata-na-katnata-garazha-%d1%9ce-se-reshat-dolgogodishnite-problemi-so-soobra%d1%9ca%d1%98niot-metezh-vo-ohrid/
      4.2 Possibility for e-participation via mobile apps, website(s), electronic templates, etc. Yes The section - report a problem on the website of the municipality of Ohrid (https://ohrid.gov.mk/%d0%ba%d0%be%d0%bd%d1%82%d0%b0%d0%ba%d1%82/)
      4.3 Open days of the municipality Yes The municipality has established a mechanism for open municipal days, however, there is no available information on whether this issue was raised during these events. Media announcement for municipal open days (https://www.ohridnews.com/otvoreni-denovi-na-opshtina-ohrid-za-predlozheniot-bu-et-za-2023-godina/)
      4.4 Citizen initiatives Nо There is no information on other civic initiatives on this matter. The citizens have not submit an initiative to participate in the decisions relating to the monitored issue, although the issue was often discussed at tribunes and meetings with citizens. Website of the municipality (https://ohrid.gov.mk/) The mayor of the municipality of Ohrid