Transparency International Georgia has evaluated the activities carried out by the City Council of the Poti Municipality (hereinafter “the City Council of Poti”) in 2023. The report is based on the information requested and received from the City Council and that on the official website of the City Council, as well as on the observations of our organization. The reporting period of the study is the year 2023.

• During the reporting period, the City Council of Poti exercised weak oversight on the City Hall and the legal entities founded by the municipality. The City Council  exercised formal control on the activities of public officials and individual agencies that are accountable to it;
• The City Council of Poti has not identified any cases of conflict of interest, incompatibility with public office, or violations of the Rules of Procedure of the City Council and of norms of ethics;
• In 2023, the City Council held 15 sessions in total, only 3 of which were extraordinary sessions;
• During the reporting period, the City Council of Poti adopted 44 resolutions: 38 resolutions were authored/initiated by the Mayor of Poti, and 6 – by individual commissions of the City Council;
• Only 1 of the 22 public officials of the City Council of Poti filled out the asset declaration with flaws;  
• The factions of the City Council – the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia and Poti for Georgia – did not have a single initiative. The United National Movement faction only had 1 initiative;
• Against the background of the minimum activities carried out by the factions, the expenditures incurred on their functioning are disproportionately large – GEL 467,410 in total, which exceeds the analogous figure of 2022 by GEL 51,124;   
• The City Council of Poti has a Gender Equality Council in place, although, similarly to the previous period, the Council has not conducted analysis of legal acts or provided an expert opinion on draft legislative acts. No statements, documentation, or other information about violation of gender equality were reported to the City Council;
• The rate of absences from the sessions of the City Council has increased; in 2023, members of the City Council were absent from the Council’s sessions 81 times, which exceeds the figure of the previous year by 30. Members of the City Council were absent from the sessions without a valid reason 69 times;
• Among the public officials of the City Council, the former Chairperson of the United National Movement faction, Darejan Tskhvitaria, and the Deputy Chairperson of the same faction, Dato Khomeriki, had the highest number of absences from the sessions without a valid reason – 9;
• The frequency of delivery of speeches at the sessions of the City Council by the Council members has declined. In 2023, 15 of the 35 members didn’t exercise this right; 23 members of the City Council failed to present reports;
• In 2023, the City Council of Poti spent GEL 1,792,572, which is GEL 226,776 more than the analogous figure of 2022. GEL 1,502,572 was spent on remuneration;
• In 2023, the City Council procured 30.2 tons of fuel for GEL 79,786, 13.7% of which (4,147 liters) was consumed by the Chairperson of the City Council of Poti, Aleksandre Tkebuchava;
• The members who are not public officials received GEL 116,478 to reimburse the expenses incurred on activities carried out in 2023. Telephone communication cost the City Council of Poti GEL 8,358. The expenses for business trips amounted to GEL 15,436.