Oslobođenje: Bottomless barrel. This is a descriptive illustration, which is often being used today in descriptions of the whole sea of units of local self-governance, which today function in Croatia. Even 429 municipalities, 127 towns and 21 cantons, including the City of Zagreb make this network of administration at local level. But, in the days of crisis and in a frame of the efforts to cut down all unnecessary expenditures from the state budget, the Government of the Republic of Croatia has decided to re-question the possibility of savings in that area as well.
Although still unofficial, but the abolishment of 150 municipalities is being announced, mostly those whose revenues are insufficient for functioning without notations from the state counter. Revenues of many of these municipalities are such that cannot earn not even for salaries of their municipal administration, especially not finance some projects of public interest. Such municipalities are being maintained by the state. But, because of the huge deficit of this year’s state budget, it is now unbearable for state to pay the bills of municipalities in which the expenditures are much higher than revenues.
Plans
The vice chairwoman of the Government, Đurđa Adlešić has stated the plans of abolishing one third of municipalities, but after the analysis of their performance, which will be done in the Fall by the working group. Public greets these announcements. Conclusions that for a small country, as Croatia is, it is a huge expenditure to have so many small and unnecessary municipalities, repeat every day. The Croatian association of municipalities is not satisfied by this. Announcements on abolishing one third of municipalities are considered unserious in this association. As they have said, such announcements "bring discomfort and confusion among the officials and employees by creating a dummy that the necessary analyses have been done, and that the decision has been brought already".
This analysis is in a competency of the Ministry of administration. Those, who work there, are already frustrated by the work they expect. Municipal officials and servants must be convinced about abolishing the municipalities, which should become a past. In a few words, in implementing the idea on abolishing municipalities, they already see the problems.
According to available data, only in administrative authorities of cantons and municipalities almost 14.000 people are employed, out of which 3.400 of them work in municipal structures. This figure does not include 5.400 municipal counselors, who also receive remunerations from the state budget and similar. It is definitely clear now that it will surely come to cutting down a huge number of municipalities, then towns and cantons, whose existence does not make sense. It is currently only one thing unclear; when and in what volume it will come to this.
Bizarre stories
That there are really too many of them, is being testified by the bizarre stories on small municipalities, which are being brought by Croatian journalists. Such example is the municipality of Civljane in Dalmatia. It has 137 citizens and only 6 employed, out of which even 5 sits in municipal building, while the salary of a mayor of municipality is around 1.000 Euros. This municipality, not only that it is not able to maintain itself, but even one fourth of the state support, whose height will be around 300.000 Euros, will be spent on salaries of employed in Municipality. There are more such examples. What is joint for all these reports on poor Croatian municipalities is the data on crazily high salaries of municipal mayors, luxury official vehicles, mobile phones and luxurious habits.
Everyone supports the reform, but…
In those stories, there is an interesting data that Croatia has in 1991 had 102 municipalities and 70 towns, while today there are five times more of municipalities, and the number of towns has been significantly increased as well.
There is no country in the world, which can feed such huge local administration, has been complained by "ordinary" citizens. Politicians are worried as well. Employments in municipalities, in which some political parties hold the governance, are an ideal possibility for residing their local party members and fans. They all support the reform of local self-governance because of savings, etc.
But, it is being insisted on clear and objective criterions of financial cost effectiveness. The opposition is openly scared that the municipalities, in which the opposition parties are, are the ones, which will be erased. Municipal administrations surely need to take care of citizens, but not of themselves. But, this theme is in a second plan because the priority is given to the destiny of employees in municipalities, which will eventually be abolished, and which will not be forgotten in the final proposal on cutting down the numerous officials at local level.