As a part of the Ahtisaari plan, two years ago was opened an Administrative office for North Mitrovica, which since then provided municipal services to the citizens of North Mitrovica. After four attempts, at the local elections was elected the Mayor, and shortly thereafter formed the Municipal Assembly.
“Administrative Office of Northern Mitrovica was established with the aim to be the basis for forming municipality North Mitrovica. It continues to provide municipal services, and does not bring decisions alone, but in cooperation with the Mayor and the Municipal Assembly, says Adriana Hodzic,” Director of the office.
“Northern Mitrovica municipality should be satisfied, because this Office has technical staff that is trained for providing municipal services from the Kosovo system. I think that it is advantage of the municipality of North Mitrovica,” says Hodzic.
Cooperation of the Office and the municipality of North Mitrovica has encountered a stumbling block when the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Kosovo requested that Municipal Assembly of Mitrovica North should vote the rebalance of the Administrative Office budget. However, the Serbian deputies refused to vote for a budget revision, whose adoption they didn’t vote.
“People are afraid and do not want to participate in things in which they didn’t take part, especially when it comes to finances. We do not wish to terminate allocations from the Kosovo budget to anybody. We are aware that people receive double salaries, which is not fair, but that is situation which existed at the time of establishing the Office, and that’s situation which we cannot change,” says Hodzic.
