MUNICIPALITIES IN
In
The largest in number of inhabitants is the urban
municipality of Ljubljana (276,313 inhabitants), and the smallest is the
municipality of Hodoš with 371 inhabitants.
Breakdown of municipalities by number of inhabitants
|
Number of inhabitants |
Number of municipalities |
% |
|
Under 5.000 |
110 |
52,38 |
|
From 5.000 to 10.000 |
47 |
22,38 |
|
From 10.000 to 50.000 |
50 |
23,80 |
|
From 50.000 to 100.000 |
1 |
0,48 |
|
Over 100.000 |
2 |
0,96 |
|
Total |
210 |
100 |
Source: Office of the Government
of
Pursuant to the Local Self-government
Act, a Slovene municipality has three bodies: a municipal (town) council, a
mayor and a supervisory committee. In the administration of the Municipality
the crucial roles are played by the first two bodies, whereas the supervisory
committee is the body controlling the public expenditures in the municipality.
MUNICIPAL COUNCIL AND
MAYOR
ORGANISATIONAL SCHEME
(JPG, 1.07Mb)
At direct secret elections
(proportional and majority system) inhabitants elect candidates to a
representative body which, in Slovenia, is called a council. The council should
be the body of a local self-government community which enables the influence of
inhabitants of this community on decision-making. Via direct and secret
elections pursuant to the criteria of modern democracy this influence is
realized so that inhabitants may influence the issues as to who represents
their interest in this body. Elections also exert a mobilization influence on
inhabitants and produce an effect of an identification lever of inhabitants
with the local community.
So elected
representative body is the highest body of local self-government which adopts
the most important acts and other decisions as well as performs the supervisory
function. If we express it in a simplified way: the
council performs the legislative function at the local level. The functions of
local self-government resemble the functions of state administration. The
principle of the division of authority to the legislative and executive
branches can also be implemented at the local level. Both functions at the
local administration level are performed by various local bodies. This also
depends on the size of the local community. In local administration the most
important decisions are made by a representative body elected by inhabitants,
while the functions of local self-government are also performed by executive
and administrative bodies.
Powers of the mayor (elected by
majority voting system) may arise directly from the law or/and acts adopted by
the local community’s council. The way the mayor is appointed importantly
influences his relation to the local community’s council, since in case of a
direct election at direct elections the mayor’s position is substantially
stronger and authority bigger. He/she also chairs the local community’s
council. System of local self-government has also at least one deputy mayors.
Let us in a few words define the
role, powers and tasks which pursuant to the valid Local Self-government Act
are performed by the municipal council and the mayor. In accordance with the
law, the town council is the highest decision-making body deciding about all
issues within the framework of rights and obligations of the municipality.
Subjects of its jurisdiction are: adoption of the statutes, decrees and other
municipal acts, spatial and other municipal development plans, the budget and
final account; giving consent to the transfer of tasks from the state
competence to the municipal one; appointing and recalling of the supervisory
board members as well as members of commissions and committees of the municipal
council; monitoring of the work of the mayor, deputy mayor and municipal
administration regarding the implementation of decisions of the municipal
council; giving opinions concerning the appointment of heads of administrative
units; appointing and recalling of the municipality’s representatives to the
advisory committee of the head of the administrative unit; making decisions on
the acquisition and alienation of the municipal property; appointing and
recalling of members to the board for the protection of public goods’
consumers; and making decisions on other issues stipulated by the law and
statutes. It may also reach decisions on issues of state jurisdiction
transposed to the municipality pursuant to the law, if not otherwise stipulated
by the law so that decisions on these issues shall be reached by some other
body.
The mayor represents the municipality
and municipal council, convenes and chairs the council’s meetings (but has no
right to vote), proposes to the council the adoption of the municipality’s
budget and final account of the budget, decrees and other acts within the
jurisdiction of the municipal council, and takes care of the implementation of
decisions of the municipal council. The mayor also takes care of publishing the
statutes, decrees and other general acts of the municipality. He/she may
withhold the implementation of a certain decision of the municipal council if
he/she estimates it to be unlawful or in contradiction with the statutes or
other general act of the municipality.
ADMINISTRATION
The administration process at the
state and local levels can not be well implemented if there is no professional
assistance or support to representative bodies, i.e. the mayor and council. The
administration should be a combination of political and professional views
which assures a right mixture for an effective administration of matters within
the domain of local communities. Professional bases for a concrete satisfaction
of material and immaterial needs are a necessity for a good quality
decision-making on issues of local importance. Pursuant to the Administration
Act, the administration shall support and assist the decision-making within the
state and local communities.
The municipal or town
administration is composed of one or more departments of municipal
administration established, based on the mayor’s proposal and with a general
act, by the municipal council which also determines their composition and
sphere of work. The head of the administration is the mayor, the
administration’s work is directly managed by the municipality’s secretary who
is appointed and recalled by the mayor.
In accordance with laws and other
regulations, the town administration’s bodies independently perform
administrative, professional-technical, organizational, developmental and other
tasks. The work of the town administration is public. Publicity is assured via
official communications and by disseminating information to mass media.
Management of the town administration, the way of work, powers and
responsibilities of workers are also determined by dividing the tasks between
the mayor, the deputy mayor and the director of town administration. A
department is lead by a head, an office by an office manager, an administrative
organization by a director, inspectorate by a chief inspector, and they all are
accountable to the mayor or director of town administration.
QUARTER COMMUNITIES
The Local Self-government Act
stipulates that a local community may organize lower organizational forms:
village, locality or quarter communities. The latter should on the one hand
mean a deconcentration of decision-making of the town
administration (delegation of some authorities to quarter community councils)
and on the other a possibility of a more direct influence of local community
inhabitants on the administration of issues which concern them most.
PUBLIC UTILITIES
Pursuant to the law,
public utilities shall be defined by laws in the field of energy business,
traffic and connections, municipal and water management, management of other
natural resources, and environmental protection, as well as by other laws
regulating the field of economic infrastructure. By a field act it may be
stipulated that a certain service may be performed as an obligatory public
utility.
The concept of public
services is inseparably related to the concept of the public good. The public
good is an item which can under the same conditions, provided by the law or a
regulation of a local community, be used by everybody. Nobody and not even the
owner has the right to prevent the others from using the public good. The
public good is items which are according to the law intended to be used freely
by everybody under the same statutory conditions and in accordance with their
purpose. They therefore comprise only those items which the law explicitly
defines as the public good. This category includes public roads and streets,
bridges, viaducts, tunnels and other parts of the road public good, public
squares, parks and other surfaces, defined as public places, cemeteries, the
sea and the coast, the sea bottom and the underground, public waters, airspace,
natural public good, i.e. areas defined as the public good by an act of the
government or a local community.
As a rule, the public
good cannot be an object of sale, i.e. of the agreements on conveyance of
immovable property. However, when the public good is owned by the state or a
local community, legal or natural persons can be granted the right of a special
use (concession contract) of the public good. The public good is intended to be
used by an undefined circle of people.
Among other things,
the Administration Act lays down the tasks of the town administration in the
area of public services, organisational forms of their implementation, and
relations to the providers of public services. In accordance with the Act, the
town administration carries out control over the legality of work of public
companies and the implementation or activity of public services.
Organisational forms
of a public utility are:
a) administration
office, when it would be due to a small volume and characteristics of a service
uneconomical to establish a public company or grant a concession;
b) public utility
institute, when there are one or more public utilities provided, which due to
their nature cannot be provided as profit ones or if this is not their goal;
c) public company, and
d) granting of a concession
to the persons of private law.