And what were they hiding?

The text of Governor Georgy Poltavchenko’s amendment to the city budget for 2012–2014 has finally reached Novaya Gazeta. And he didn’t bring absolutely any secrets that should be protected above all else from curious journalists. Those expenses that were spoken of as being cut were indeed cut, and the additional funds were used precisely for the purposes that Novaya envisaged (No. 73).

Let's save
Let's start with the city's revenues, which in 2012 will grow by another 12.6 billion rubles. The increase mostly consists of 10 billion rubles. additional growth in tax revenues (including 6.5 billion - personal income tax, 1.6 billion - profit tax) and 2.3 billion rubles, which the city will additionally receive from the federal budget. Why additional tax revenues “found” somewhere between the first and second readings of the budget is unknown, but in recent years this has happened almost every time a budget is adopted.
What does Georgy Poltavchenko plan to cut?
The biggest savings, as we said, are on the construction of the Oryol Tunnel (3.46 billion rubles in 2012), the NovoAdmiralteysky Bridge (1.5 billion in 2012 and another 2.6 billion in 2013), the bridge across Serny Island and the reconstruction of Pesochnaya Embankment (1.1 billion rubles).
Another 193 million rubles. it is proposed to save on the reconstruction of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge. Finally, according to the governor’s proposal, in 2012 allocations to the Road Fund are being reduced - from 45.5 to 42.2 billion rubles. True, in the next two years, on the contrary, they grow, and the total three-year amount of expenses remains almost unchanged.

Let's fork out
Now about the additions to the 2012 budget.
The largest of them is 3.4 billion rubles. — scattered across the cost estimates of all district administrations: major repairs of apartment buildings. Of this amount, about 1.5 billion will go to repair roofs, and the same amount will go to repair elevators.
The Central District will receive the most - 369 million rubles. An additional 351 million will be received by the Admiralteysky district, 307 by Vyborgsky, 290 by Krasnogvardeysky, 235 by Primorsky, 233 by Nevsky, 223 by Frunzensky, 214 by Kalininsky, 184 by Vasileostrovsky, etc. What will this give to the city? A major roof repair costs on average 1.5–2 million rubles, although it can reach 5–6 million; a major repair of one elevator costs 2–3 million. Consequently, several hundred houses can go through the overhaul procedure.
The next largest addition is social: RUB 1.78 billion. will be allocated to provide social support measures to certain categories of citizens in paying for housing and utilities. According to information from the former head of the Legislative Assembly’s commission on social issues, Natalia Evdokimova, this is due to a general increase in rent prices and an increase in the number of low-income citizens entitled to budget support. On average, about 500 rubles of subsidy may be received per person per month, therefore, about 300 thousand city residents will receive support.
Almost the same amount - 1.72 billion rubles. — in 2012, additional funds will be allocated for capital investments as part of the targeted investment program. Of these, 364 million will go to continue the construction of Bogatyrsky Avenue in the area from Yakhtennaya to Staroderevenskaya streets. 294 million - for the reconstruction of the building of the Main Investigation Department at 145 Ligovsky Prospekt, which collapsed in September 2010. 308 million - for the construction of kindergartens in the Moskovsky, Krasnoselsky, Frunzensky and Pushkinsky districts. Funds will also be allocated for the construction of a special residential building for single citizens in the Frunzensky district, the construction of a shopping complex on the site of the Khasansky market and the construction of a ski stadium in Zelenogorsk.

Little things
Other budget additions are smaller.
So, 750 million rubles. will be spent on road maintenance, 700 million on their repair, another 300 million on major repairs of bridges and embankments, 506 million on preparing the area for the construction of the Western High-Speed ​​Diameter (the central section that should pass by Vasilievsky Island).
RUB 185 million will additionally be allocated for free medicines, medical nutrition for children and special food for pregnant women. In the 2012 budget version, adopted in the first reading, these expenses amounted to 870 million rubles. — therefore, the governor proposes to increase them by about 20%.
300 million rub. will be used for the implementation of the target program “Development of long-term housing lending in St. Petersburg.” This program, according to Evdokimova, was initially supposed to be implemented until 2012, then it was officially cut off in 2011, but in fact it was not financed at all in the budgets of 2010–2011. Now financing is being renewed - but with a loan size (subsidies for the down payment and interest rate) of 1.5–2 million rubles, no more than 200 people will be able to use the program. It is worth noting that initially it was planned to allocate about 1.8 billion rubles for the implementation of this program in 2011. - but then they decided to do without these expenses at all...
Finally, 100 million rubles. will go towards the construction of a new diagnostic and treatment building at City Hospital No. 33 in Kolpino.
Deputies will discuss the governor’s proposals at a meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee on October 17. There is no doubt that they will be approved. At the same meeting, according to the head of the CFK, Vyacheslav Makarov, deputies will also discuss an amendment from the CFK itself, which is now being prepared. The second reading of the budget will take place on October 19, the third on October 26.

Boris VISHNEVSKY
Collage by Evgenia KONKOVA