Is it a matter of tariffs?!

The origins of the housing and communal services crisis in Velikiye Luki are not economics, but politics

It is with regret that we have to admit that the activities of almost everyone associated with the organization of life in Velikiye Luki (be it a deputy, a plant director, or the head of a municipal service) are politicized, conflict-ridden, and strictly divided into factions.

One is amazed when local “political strategists” who have read Machiavelli claim that this is a natural consequence of the democratic organization of the state. Political science has long ago decided that this situation is a consequence of the lack of civil foundations in society and is often created artificially in order to provoke society into actions beneficial to specific political forces.

Apparently, from this position it is worth discussing the problems of housing and communal services, or rather, what is happening around this topic. But first, let us recall the recent political events in Velikiye Luki: an unprecedentedly tough election campaign for the election of deputies of the regional Assembly and the City Duma, which divided the candidates in their attitude to the city administration, an intense struggle for the post of chairman of the City Duma, a sharp deterioration in relations and public conflicts between the administration and the Duma, the inclusion of the administration of the Pskov region in this fight is on the side of the city administration.

I want to emphasize that at each stage of the conflict there were opportunities for a transition to constructive mutual activity of political forces. However, each time the situation slid towards the worst path of development.

Is this not what pushes the city towards legal and patriotic nihilism, corruption and crime, and the destruction of life-supporting and ideological spheres?

The impression was created that it was not the interests of the Velikiye residents that were being pursued by political forces. The easiest way is to say who is to blame. But then this is just “another brick in the wall,” as Pink Floyd once said, and I want to live in a city where people are respected and care about economic development.

It is from this position that I undertake to discuss the so-called “topic of tariffs” in Velikiye Luki.

The information blow (resources of regional television and the press, the local press are involved...) on the work of the Velikiy Luki Duma can only be compared in our region with the “impact” on the former mayor of Pskov A. Prokofiev.

Let's think about it. In civil society, socially significant projects, especially ones that worsen, even temporarily, the situation of the population, are subject to extremely scrupulous analysis and are submitted for public discussion. Here, instead of having a constructive conversation, they simply put pressure on the representative body of local self-government. Moreover, the topic of whether the population should pay more was chosen spontaneously (apparently, there was no other one?): firstly, it is not advantageous for those who are in favor of the so-called increase in tariffs, and secondly, the Duma, as a collective spokesman for the opinion of residents, is always objectively will defend the interests of voters.

Perhaps I’m wrong, and tariff policy in Velikiye Luki is really the main issue? But then the professionals - those who have been responsible for many years for the functioning of housing and communal services and the preparation of the city water supply system, heating and electrical networks, and gas facilities for work in winter conditions - know the answer. I heard their opinion at a meeting organized by the administration of the Pskov region in Velikiye Luki.

Neither V. Malakhov nor V. Tirman focused attention on the problem of tariffs in their speeches; they spoke more about the situation with the municipality’s debts for the heat supplied to the public sector, about the need for the active participation of the regional administration in the modernization of the housing and communal services of the second largest city in the Pskov region.

Pragmatically and emotionally at the same time, the mayor of Velikiye Luki A. Migrov presented his vision of the problem: the way out of the systemic crisis is to change the standards of the regional budget system, the essence of which today is the withdrawal of funds from donor cities (Pskov and Velikiye Luki) and their centralized redistribution to district budgets; return of federal and regional debts to these cities; regional support for housing and communal services reconstruction projects.

In my opinion, the speech of the Chairman of the City Duma L. Golubeva was professional, both from a political and economic point of view - the deputies have always supported an objective increase in tariffs, which is recorded in the protocols, and our proposals, around which the discussion unfolded, are related, first of all, with the development of a city program for the modernization of housing and communal services, when the population's funds will participate in the development of energy-saving technologies, the formation of a justified and efficient economy of Velikiye Luki.

I assert that the Velikiye Luki side has prepared very seriously to discuss the problem.

The proposal of A. Kotov (deputy head of the regional administration, in charge of issues of interaction with municipalities) to discuss the equality of residents of Velikiye Luki, Lokny and Struga Krasny before the consolidated budget, the idea of ​​V. Moiseev (deputy head of the regional administration, dealing with housing and communal services problems) harshly, even to the point of eviction , to fight non-payers for housing and communal services, were not in demand in the discussion.

I. Zhitkov and S. Sergienkov (deputies of the City Duma) were able to show with objective figures (taking into account pensioners and children, and not just the working population) the average salary in Velikiye Luki, and its relationship with the real cost of payment for consumed heat and water, they proved that the number of debtors in our city is the smallest in the Pskov region.

Of course, the fact of the extremely low volume of federal subsidies for low-income residents of Velikiye Luki, which was emphasized by the deputy heads of the administration of the Pskov region, deserves attention. But what is the reason? In my opinion, this topic is not only not reflected in the media, we have not given it any importance at all, like many other federal projects that allow us to receive additional funding.

How will Velikiye Luki municipal and state services work, on which the issuance of subsidies depends? to what extent will the population, which has not eliminated legal illiteracy, dare to write more and more papers; how and when the state guarantees the return of funds (after all, the history of bank deposits, guardianship payments, debts to teachers has not yet sunk into oblivion).

V. Moiseev emphasized three times at the meeting: we did not gather to discuss tariffs, our common task is how, together with the representative and executive authorities of Velikiye Luki, to solve the problems of housing and communal services, especially today, when every day is expensive in preparing this life-supporting sphere for the city for winter. And almost all regional and city leaders present at the meeting, who are responsible for the supply of electricity, heat, water, and gas to the population of Velikiye Luki, agreed with this!

... And then there were articles: “Putting an end to amateurism”, “Has the train left?”, “Velikiye Luki may freeze”, continued shutdowns of the technical services of heating networks from electricity, interruptions in the supply of gas, cessation of the supply of hot water.

And it became clear to me: it’s not the tariffs that matter; Velikiye Luki is increasingly becoming a bargaining chip in the Pskov political circle.

Is it really possible that in our city, once leading in intellectual and patriotic forces, there is no personality, no civil force capable of performing strong-willed, socially responsible actions? Who doesn’t understand what kind of tragedy can be thrown into the life of Velikiye Luki, the people of Great Luch, by continuing to engage in political games?

PS The mayor of a city in the USA told me a story. In the fifties, enterprises were closed one after another, gangsters demanded money for opening each shop, corrupt officials did not disdain any bribe. Crowds of people left their homes; someone on the way out of the city even wrote: “The last one to leave, don’t forget to turn off the lights!” Then administrators, deputies and entrepreneurs got together and decided - stop listening to figures from the center, stop protecting only your own interests, it’s time to take care of the city and citizens, together we are strong! This city - Seattle - today is the capital of the IBM and Boeing corporations, the world flagship in the fight against cancer, an exhibition, university and sports center.

Alexander Shulaev, Velikie Luki.