In a situation when prices of public utilities are up, residents should be given the option to pay debts gradually without fines, said Mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma.
According to the politician, in a situation when public utilities prices are up, Latvia can expect an increase of residents’ debts, and Riga municipality has only two solutions to offer people. One of them is providing aid using housing benefits.
The other solutions is offering residents the option to pay debts over a longer period of time without using fines.
Staķis admits that municipal capital associations are not interested in the latter, but there is no other way out. The mayor said such a mechanism should be developed in summer.
As for other topical issues for the municipality, Staķis said Riga City Council is working on its complaint to be submitted to the Constitutional Court over the decision made by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Regional Development to halt the municipality’s development plan. The city council also holds active talks with the ministry. However, so far it seems sides will not be able to reach an agreement.
Sarkandaugava bypass construction work are scheduled to recommence in the coming days, said the mayor. He mentioned he understands that prices are up, but construction workers are trying to pressure the municipal administration instead of constructively analysing increasing positions to reach an agreement on compensation for actual prices going up.
Staķis admits that the city council was forced to drop several previously planned projects in Riga because no applications were received in some of the procurement procedures.