Project Title: IMC3 – Synchronization for Cooperation-Inter-Municipal Cooperation for Micro Region of Kicevo

Location: Drugovo, Vranestica, Zajas, Oslomej and Kicevo

Short Description:

The overall project aims to contribute to the improvement of the quality of public services provision at a local level through enhancement of Inter-Municipal Cooperation in the context of the ongoing decentralization reform and the EU integration process.  Project activities are focused in the Kicevo micro-region i.e. Drugovo, Vranestica, Zajas, Oslomej and Kicevo where technical assistance for Inter-Municipal Cooperation is provided and capacities of local administration are strengthened to implement municipal level partnerships for joint provision of services to local population and good governance for local development.  This project is intended to help build the capacity of the five municipalities for cooperating through various Inter-Municipal Cooperation agreements.  Synchronizing the systems, the personnel capacity and the joint approaches to local government will allow for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

Corporate thematic area: Decentralization

Status of the project: Ongoing

Donor: Government of the Kingdom of Norway

Period of the project: Ongoing

UNDP Programme Officer: Mihaela Stojkoska

Achievements:

• A common platform for cooperation among all five municipalities of the Kicevo micro region was defined through an inclusive process of discussions between project team and mayors of respective municipalities. Proper approaches for cooperation were agreed, ambiguities clarified and sufficient level of understanding and trust was built on the side of the key beneficiaries of the benefits of the Project;
• An International adviser on Inter-municipal cooperation was engaged to contribute in the System Preparation phase by sharing the best practices, providing strategic inputs to UNDP and the counterparts;

• Study visit to Bulgaria was carried out where a discussion forum on Inter-municipal cooperation and utilization of EU fund was organized by the Association of Southeast municipalities (BG) with the participation of mayors, representatives of ministries and municipal experts from both countries.

• Strategy for tax registration - a first step of a comprehensive registration of the tax payers and determination of the market value of their real estate was completed. Preparation activities for beginning of the field work and gathering a multifaceted data of the real estate of over 20.000 taxpayers were completed;
• Training on Tax administration-registration of tax payers and assessment of market value of real estate delivered for 90 participants from five municipalities ( two modules to two groups);
• Strategy for local campaign on raising awareness and education of the taxpayers regarding their rights and obligations in the tax registration and tax collection process was completed. Promotional materials and guidelines for conducting of local campaign were printed out and the local campaign was implemented with active participation of municipalities;
• Field work for tax data gathering (the registration process was conducted in the period of three months October-December 2008) has been implemented by 18 municipal commissions on daily basis and completed in the all five municipalities. The registers of the real estates of all five municipalities were updated with over 10.000 tax payers.
• ICT Assessment Report is completed, addressing the following topics: IT literacy, hardware and software infrastructure, network infrastructure; application software, data and information flow, data processing and transparency of information for all five municipalities. This report contains recommendations for intervention in the respective areas and will be basis for development of Technical Specifications for purchasing of software, hardware and training;
• Joint LED strategy, containing list of priority projects important for the development of the whole micro region, was agreed in cooperation with the five municipalities;
• Service Delivery Analysis was completed, providing data on the types, quantity and quality of the requested and delivered services by each municipality, as well as on the interaction between municipalities and citizens, the extent of citizen participation in local governance etc. Review of the organizational structure of the five municipalities was implemented as well as of their acts of systematization and organization;
• Based on the findings of the focus groups (5 thematic focus groups were conducted in the field of urban planning, LED, tax administration, communal activities and inspection), a situational mapping report was prepared, containing recommendations for improvement of the performance of functions and delivery of services as well as recommendations for optimal Inter-municipal cooperation models. The identified policy options for inter-municipal cooperation models, including cost-benefit analysis were proposed to the municipal leadership. Once decision is taken for selection of the optimal IMC models to be established among partnering municipalities, UNDP will develop an action plan for further supporting the establishment and operation of sustainable IMC models that will provide efficient local public services.

Project Title: IMC2 (Inter-municipal cooperation for efficient service delivery)

Location: Veles and Caska; Tetovo and Brvenica

Short Description:

Project’s main objective was to promote inter-municipal cooperation as an effective approach to deliver public services and to support good governance for development.

The project activities had been structured to first address local organizational deficiencies and then enable creation of favorable environment for inter-municipal cooperation. The project activities were focused in creating of the conditions for undisturbed implementation if the IMC agreements the area of tax collection and administration in the municipalities of Veles and Caska as well as Tetovo and Brvenica.

Corporate thematic area: Decentralization

Status of the project: Completed

Donor and Budget: UNDP-Governance Thematic Trust Fund

Period of the project: September 2007 – September 2008

UNDP Programme Officer: Mihaela Stojkoska

Achievements:

• Establishment of initial cooperation arrangements with the Mayors in order to establish inter-municipal cooperation between municipalities Caska and  Veles as well as Brvenica and Tetovo;

• Based on analysis and in close cooperation between the UNDP and the said municipalities, tax administration area was selected as a field of intervention;

• ICT evaluation in municipalities Caska and Brvenica was conducted in order to assess the existing capacities and provide recommendations for improvement of ICT capacities in area of tax administration in order to enable unlimited electronic flow of information and documents between the partnering municipalities;

• IT equipment was purchased and establishment of wireless network between the targeted municipalities initiated.

• Tax administration client software installed in the Municipalities of Brvenica and Caska, tested and put into operation. Web-site for the municipality of Brvenica developed and hosted;

• IT training for 30 employees of the municipalities of Brvenica and Caska;

• Support provided for update of the taxpayers databases through the process of registration of real estate in the municipalities:

°          A promotional campaign implemented (video material produced and broadcast, promotional materials distributed) in order to inform the citizens and obtain their support for the process of registration of real estate;

°          Four commissions per municipality to determine the market value of the real estate constituted;

°          Methodology for update of taxpayers database developed;

°          3-day training on field collection of data, methodology for evaluation of property, tax administration and tax collection delivered for participants from the four municipalities;

• Comprehensive registration of 2700 taxpayers in the municipality of Caska and 3700 in the municipality of Brvenica completed and municipal taxpayers registers updated in the period of September 2007 – December 2008;

• Study visit to Bulgaria carried out for representatives of partner municipalities, attending forum for IMC and utilization of the EU funds. Visits to several inter-municipal projects: electronic information exchange between municipalities of Blagoevgrad region, inter-municipal dump, models of inter-municipal cooperation in the area of the social services. Experiences gathered for possible IMC projects in social services.