Mayor Fuad Kasumović declared the Zenica City Budget operational
Following the debate at the City Council session held on March 30, 2016 when the Agenda was dominated by a crucial issue of this year’s budget, Mayor Kasumović withdrew his budget proposal he had submitted to the City Council for adoption, before the councilors had a chance to discuss and vote accordingly. His decision was explained by an unusually great number of amendments which hit the very core of the Mayor’s budgetary policy, and to save the basic functions of the City, Mayor decided to withdrew the proposal and act in his capacity of Mayor, as provided by the BiH Federation laws.
Given the legal regulations that stipulate that the temporary financing could be functional not longer than March 31, Mayor convened a press conference on Monday, April 3, 2017 and declared the City Budget operational in compliance with the Law on Principles of Local Self-Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This Decision will become effective on the day of its publication in the Official Gazette of the City of Zenica.
This Decision has met the harsh response from the „ad hoc majority“ formed by SDA, Snaga Centra and A-SDA parties who threatened legal actions against the Mayor.
The second topic presented at the Press conference revolved around the alleged threats by the Mayor Kasumović against the BiH Public Broadcast Service journalists who were denied the opportunity to interview the Zenica Mayor on March 30, the day of the City Council Session. Mr. Fuad Kasumović explained he never mentioned or accused the media houses the journalists in questions work for, but rather refused the interview on the grounds of previous false claims by those journalist concerning Zenica public opinion on betting houses taxation and general feeling among the public when it comes to raison d’être of this kind of business in the city. He also invited the media representatives to make favorable reports from the city they live in.