Evaluation of Performance of the City Council of Akhaltikhe in 2021- 2022 - საერთაშორისო გამჭვირვალობა - საქართველო
GEO

Evaluation of Performance of the City Council of Akhaltikhe in 2021- 2022

30 August, 2023

"Transparency International - Georgia" evaluates the activities of the representative body, City Council of the 2021 convocation of Akhaltsikhe Municipality.

The report is based on the information requested from the Akhaltsikhe City Council and that posted on the City Council’s official website, as well as on the observations of our organization.

The study covers the period between December 2021 and December 2022.

  • During the reporting period, the City Council of Akhaltsikhe exercised weak oversight over the executive bodies, and the oversight over the officials and individual agencies accountable to the City Council was formal in most cases;
  • The Akhaltsikhe City Council has significantly worsened the practice of providing public information. While conducting this assessment, the City Council failed to provide us with the minutes from both City Council and Commission sessions. Additionally, they did not provide public information concerning the presence and absence of the members at these sessions, their statements, and the Mayor's or other officials' summons by the members of the City Council. Furthermore, there was a lack of information regarding written inquiries or proposals directed from the council members to the City Hall.
  • The City Council was unable to provide us with the records of any meetings held between the members of the council and the population.
  • No instances of conflicts of interest, incompatible activities with public service, or violations of ethical norms and rules of procedures were identified at the City Council of Akhaltsikhe;
  • Throughout the reporting period, the City Council convened 18 sessions and endorsed all of the presented matters, except for one. This particular issue pertained to the regulations concerning the provision of real estate through leasing.
  • 9 out of 22 officials of the Akhaltsikhe City Council incompletely filled out their asset declarations.
  • None of the three factions operating in the City Council presented any initiatives. A cumulative amount of 311,586.88 GEL was expended for the activities carried out by these factions.
  • Throughout the reporting period, the Gender Equality Council refrained from analyzing draft legal acts, abstained from contributing to the establishment of a monitoring mechanism for gender equality measures, and did not engage in the formulation of recommendations.
  • The City Council has created a public hall to ensure citizen participation.
  • The petition submitted by "Transparency International - Georgia" was approved by the Akhaltsikhe City Council.
  • Between December 2021 and 2022, the City Council's expenditures amounted to 1,052,686.18 GEL. Out of this sum, a total of 901,802.73 GEL was allocated for salaries, allowances, and awards.
  • Within a year, the City Council consumed 33,584 liters of fuel, which equated to a total cost of 109,690.45 GEL. Among this, the chairman of the City Council and his three deputies accounted for the usage of 11,044 liters of fuel, accumulating a combined cost of 35,975.45 GEL.