The Shumska urban AH hosted representatives of Ternopil Oblast's hromadas and shared its secrets of success and achievements within the framework of the study tour "Routes of Success".

The Shumska AH has something to share!

Volodymyr Pletyuk, head of the Shumska urban AH, spoke about AH formation, shared its successes after amalgamation, and outlined plans for the future.

What fostered AH formation?

Our city was not rich, and the villages that were part of the hromada were already quite poor. The AH gave them some kind of vague, but still a hope that together life will be easier.

Was it difficult at the very beginning?

Our hromada was formed in 2015, so it was both difficult and interesting. Initially, we experimented with the necessary structure, functions that were supposed to be performed by employees, starostas. For us, almost everything was unknown, but I say that it only hardened us, and when later we faced a need to create new departments, structural subdivisions in the AH, we were not afraid of the "novelties" any more.

What "fruits" does the decentralisation reform give?

Decentralisation of power gave an opportunity to be creative and, due to this, develop. The Shumska hromada tries to compete with the initiative hromadas for the proper development.

The budget of all councils that entered the Shumska AH in 2015 was about UAH 7 mln. As a result of 2018 - it was already UAH 42 million. In 2019 we expect about UAH 47 million of our own revenues. The budget plan for 2019 with state subventions is UAH 139 million.

Over three years, the hromada has implemented more than 80 various projects.

From 2016, one of the first in Ukraine's ASCs has been providing over 220 services here. For the second year in a row, the hromada implements its Participatory Budget. They purchased training equipment for hromada schools, arranged a modern physics classroom. The procedure for the purchase of a modern ultrasound diagnostics machine for the Shumsk Hospital and the Solid Household Waste Management Project envisaged by the hromada Development Strategy are being finalised.

In recent years, a new peat processing plant has been opened, the Segesh Ukraine factory with Swedish-Estonian investments and the Shumskkhlib company have expanded considerably. Pork and mushroom production is developing.

What are the major projects you plan to implement this and next year?

This year is a jubilee one, since Shumsk is celebrating 870 years anniversary. The main directions this year include: renovation of municipal streets in the city. This year, much attention will be paid to setting up a system for separate garbage collection. In 2019 we will complete the coverage of all hromada settlements (and we have 36 of them). Energy-efficient events will be held in schools. It is planned to install two football fields with artificial cover in the villages and reconstruction of outpatient clinics. We are working on the Safe City project. Construction of a solar power plant will start this year.

The full version is available in Ukrainian – please click HERE