According to the draft budget approved by the General Council on Thursday, in 2023 the capital city hall, including subordinates, has an estimated total budget of about 11.4 billion lei. The local budget is estimated at approximately 8 billion lei, to which are added non-refundable funds in the amount of 1.6 billion lei and income from subordinates in the amount of about 2.6 billion lei. The budget was approved by the PNL-USR majority. The PSD group left the room after their proposed amendment was rejected.

Every year during the General Council meeting where the budget was approved, PNL, USR and Mayor Nikushor Dan introduced amendments, the amendments that were approved and changed the form of the budget were put up for public discussion.

Mayor Nikusor Dan’s amendment provided for the allocation of 10 million lei more for ASPA, about 37 million lei for a 10% increase in the salaries of City Hall employees, 3.2 million lei more for the Metropolitan Library, 5 million lei more for ARCUB, 2 million lei for PROEDUS, more 3 million lei to the Center for the elderly, another 4 million lei to CREART, another 18 million lei to the Real Estate Fund Administration.

The amendment of the PNL group aimed to allocate 54 million lei in addition to the Road Administration, another 20 million lei for the modernization of public lighting and another 100 million lei for public transport to modernize 70 trams.

“These are important goals that were not in the general mayor’s proposal, but which are necessary for the city. We are asking for allocation of 100 million lei for public transport, modernization of 70 trams. Seats, linoleum will be replaced, trams will be painted. The pace of modernization of the STB fleet was slow compared to the pace of degradation of trams, buses and trolleybuses. Their replacement and modernization is an urgent need! For ASB, we want to allocate another 54 million lei for the repair and modernization of streets, road markings, separate lanes, new parking spaces – we have already identified 13 spaces with a total area of ​​43,222 square meters. We still want to allocate 20 million lei for the modernization of public lighting,” explained Stelian Buyduveanu, PNL advisor.

The USR amendment aimed to increase the budget of the Municipal Sports Club by 2.4 million lei, the budget of ALPAB by approximately 29 million lei, the budget of the ASSMB by 43 million lei.

Where does the money go?

The local budget is relevant, which is, in fact, the budget of the Bucharest City Hall. The general budget includes, for example, reports from the National Health Insurance Fund for services provided by hospitals, revenue collected by theaters from ticket sales, zoo admission fees, etc.

The capital city hall’s investment budget is about 2.4 billion lei. This does not include subordinated investments that are not centralized. Almost 30% of the 8 billion local budget is invested.

The subsidy for heating and public transport is approximately 2.4 billion lei in 2023 (heating – 1.1 billion lei; transport – 1.33 billion).

Personnel costs for the City Hall and its subordinates are estimated at approximately two billion lei. This includes salaries at city-run hospitals paid by the National Health Insurance Fund. Strictly speaking, the expenses for the personnel of the capital city hall amount to 150 million lei. The rest are subordinates and hospitals.

About 900 million lei will be used to repay the taken loans.

The rest of the funds, i.e. more than half of the total budget, goes to current expenses, which in a broad sense means the provision of communal services and repair works.

What investment projects are financed?

The capital city hall proposes to invest about 2.4 billion lei in 2023. The main projects for which funds are allocated:

• Modernization of the heating system – 800 million lei;
• Public transport – 700 million lei. This includes money for trams, electric buses and trolleybuses, large infrastructure projects (65 million lei for the extension of Prelungirea Ghencea street; 55 million lei for the Doamna Ghica passage, 14 million lei for the II stage of the crossing of Nicolae Grigorescu – Splai Dudescu, mainly the extension of Iuliu Gaceganu street ; about 65 million for the restoration of tram lines; 1.8 million lei for traffic management); Based on the amendment proposed by the PNL, another 100 million lei was allocated for the modernization of 70 trams.
• Construction of bicycle paths – 33.4 million lei; An additional 1 million lei is planned for the bicycle lane master plan;
• Flamaropol ice rink – 10 million lei proposed in the 2023 budget out of 122 million lei as the total investment cost;
• Cartier Henri Coandă utility services – 37 million lei;
• Review of MOPSA – 27 million lei;
• Treatment plants from Glina plus the rehabilitation of the Dâmbovița box – 357 million lei of the 779 million lei needed to complete the project;
• Reconstruction of Ghidigeni, Olteniţei, Cheile Turzii and Henri Coandă collections – 62 million lei out of 251 million lei needed to complete the project;
• expansion of Ghencea Extension street – 65 million lei;
• Passage Doamna Ghica – 59 million lei;
• Phase II from the intersection of Nicolae Grigorescu – Sply Dudescu, mainly the extension of Iuliu Gatseganu street – 1.1 million lei;
• restoration of tram tracks – 65 million lei;
• STB stations – 15 million lei;

How much money do subordinates receive in general?

The budget of subordinates mainly consists of subsidies received from the capital city hall, plus the income they receive from the services provided and grants they received.

Allocations for subordinates are as follows:

• Municipal sports club – 43 million lei plus 2 million lei from the amendment to the USR;
• ARCUB – 23 million lei plus 5 million lei from the amendment proposed by Nikusor Dan;
• Proedus – 23 million lei plus 2 million lei from the amendment proposed by Nikusor Dan;
• CREART – 14 million lei plus 4 million lei from the amendment proposed by Nikusor Dan;
• Bucharest City Youth Center – 6.5 million lei;
• Bucharest Municipality Center for the Elderly – 4 million lei plus 3 million lei from the amendment proposed by Nikusor Dan;
• General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest – 415 million lei;
• Local police – 67 million lei;
• ASPA – 30 million lei plus 10 million lei from Mayor Nikusor Dan’s amendment;
• Administration of cemeteries – 64 million lei;
• Street administration – 220 million lei plus 54 million lei from the amendment to the PNL;
• Hospital administration – 607 million lei plus 43 million lei from the amendment to the UDR;
• ALPAB – 140 million lei plus 29 million lei from the amendment to the USR;
• Municipal Department for Consolidation of Seismic Buildings – 77 million lei (60 million for consolidation)