The Sofia Municipal Council adopted the budget update with more funds for key sectors. The proposal of Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev was adopted with 42 votes "for", eight municipal councilors voted "against", and four abstained, BTA listed.
The municipal councilors also adopted an addition to the budget update, made by "Save Sofia" in a hall, for the completion of a parking lot at the "Slivnitsa" metro station.
With the update, the Municipality will "save" nearly 40 million leva from the Capital Program, which without the change would have remained unused at the end of the year due to delays or obstacles to certain projects.
With part of the updated budget, the construction and expansion of 28 kindergartens and 11 schools will be accelerated. This will support the vision of “The Road to Zero“ – no children without a place in kindergarten and a transition to a single-shift training regime, the Municipality explained.
A significant resource will also be directed to seven key Water and Sewerage projects, including the construction of a reverse connection between the “Beli Iskar“ and "Iskar" dams through the Malobuchinsky water pipeline – an important step to guarantee the safe water supply of Sofia and prevent future risks from the water regime.
Among the priorities is the urgent renovation of the First City Hospital, which will ensure safe conditions and normal medical care for patients.
In the field of culture, the update provides for finishing works for the mineral bath in “Ovcha Kupel“, which will restore part of the unique natural and cultural heritage of Sofia, as well as completing the renovation of the “Sofia“ Theater. Another part of the resource will be directed to urgent and advanced infrastructure projects, the completion of which is of key importance for the sustainable development of the city.
In parallel, funding will be provided for repair and ongoing maintenance of roads in a volume comparable to previous years, so as to guarantee quality winter preparation and reduce the costs of emergency repairs in the spring.
The adopted update will also comply with the commitment made to direct the funds from the increase in the tourist tax entirely to the development of Sofia as a tourist destination through support for cultural, infrastructure and marketing initiatives that build a sustainable and recognizable image of the city.