OREANDA-NEWS. November 24, 2009. Visiting session of the Government of Karelia was held in Pitkaranta. Under the direction of the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Karelia Pavel Chernov members of the Government have considered the report on the implementation of the republican budget in 9 months of 2009. However, the main item on the agenda was the issue of measures for increase of effectiveness of activity of local government institutions.

Budget revenues in the republic in 9 months have made 15 billion 92 million roubles, or 68% to the annual plan. In comparison with the similar period of the previous year the volume of budget revenues has decreased by 159 million roubles. The budget expenditure in comparison with the previous year, on the contrary, has increased by 13%. Even in the context of the budget revenue shortfall, duly payment of wages to employees of state-financed organisations and measures of social support to some categories of citizens is provided.

Decrease in the budget revenue has highlighted work efficiency of authority of all levels. It was decided to consider efficiency of activity of local government institutions at the visiting session of the Government, and Pitkaranta became a platform for discussion.

As the keynoter, Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Karelia for Development of Local Self-Government, Mikhail Annenkov has told, according to the decree of the President of Russia On the Estimation Of Efficiency of Activity of Local Government Institutions in Urban Districts and Metropolitan Regions in Karelia there have been generated uniform approaches to estimation of efficiency of activity of local government institutions and the necessary regulatory system has been adopted.

In 2009 heads of regions prepared reports on achieved values of parameters for estimation of efficiency of activity of local government institutions for 2008. Expert analysis of reports has been carried out, the 65-parameter system of estimation of local government bodies has been approved. The republic was one of the first among the other Russian regions to publish the summary report on results of the monitoring on the Internet.

On the sum of parameters of efficiency of activity of local administrations the best values in 2008 were achieved in Kostomuksha, Petrozavodsk and Kem region. These municipal formations will receive grants from the budget of the republic. To identify winners the jury took into account efficiency of activity of regions in the sphere of economic development, public health services, education, housing and communal services, organization of municipal management.

The work performed has revealed a number of problems. In particular, the mechanism of estimation of activity of municipal authority demands perfection. Besides, indicators of efficiency of activity of local government institutions should be more closely associated with the parameters used for estimation of works of the Russian regions.

As it was mentioned at the session of the Government, heads of some regions take insufficient measures to reduce the inefficient expenditure. Low remains the share of expenditure allocated from local budgets for municipal programs, and unfairly high are living expenses of local authorities. Substantial improvements are required in work of municipal establishments. Complaints from the population are caused by decisions of local authorities related to development of business, assignment of lands, repair and maintenance of streets, activity of housing and communal services.

Statements of the Acting Assistant to the Prime Mnister of the Government of the Republic of Karelia and Chief of the Administration of the Head of the Republic of Karelia Lyudmila Kosyuk, Miister of Economic Development of the republic Mikhail Yurinov, Miister of Health and Social Development of Karelia Elmira Zilber, Miister of Education of the RK Alexander Selyanin and others were devoted to development of ways of increase of effectiveness of activity of local government institutions.