Radosavljevic: The Leposavic budget planned by the previous administration does not reflect citizens’ needs; we expect a revision

Deputy Mayor of Leposavic Marko Radosavljevic, speaking about the first hundred days of the new local administration, stated that upon taking office they encountered dysfunctional municipal services and a pre-planned budget that does not reflect the real needs of citizens, but expressed hope that it will be revised. He identified resolving water supply issues as the “question of all questions” to which the municipality will be dedicated.

“We came across a budget that had already been planned by the previous administration and that does not reflect the real needs of citizens. There were also no public consultations organized to involve citizens in presenting the problems. At the beginning, we focused on improving the efficiency of services and tried to open up the Municipality to all citizens. It is very important for us that citizens come to the institution, present their problems, and receive an answer or have those problems resolved,” Radosavljevic told Kosovo Online.

He emphasized that he expects a budget revision and that, in cooperation with citizens and through public consultations, it will be possible to design projects based on priorities and in line with the direction in which Leposavic should develop.

According to him, the main issues in the utilities sector are waste collection and water supply.

“Water supply is the most urgent issue, and I believe we are on the right track to resolve it this year. We are currently in the phase of preparing project documentation and securing cadastral formalities, after which, in cooperation with the regional water utility of Kosovo—with which we have good cooperation—we will try to implement this most important issue for our citizens,” Radosavljevic announced.

He pointed out that municipal competencies are defined by the Law on Local Self-Government, but that there is a growing trend of central authorities in Pristina attempting to take over certain competences from municipalities.

“We will fight against such decisions and try, through institutional means, to prevent such developments to the extent of our capacity,” said the Deputy Mayor of Leposavic.

He also highlighted that a staffing plan was adopted in December in cooperation with the legal and administrative services.

“This is very important for citizens, as it means there will be new employment opportunities in the future,” Radosavljevic stated.

He announced that in the coming days the focus will be on landscaping green areas and improving public spaces, and invited citizens to take part by contributing proposals and engaging in concrete activities.

President of the Leposavic Municipal Assembly Marko Rakic stated that the new assembly, which began its work in December 2025, has adopted a number of important decisions in its first hundred days.

“The first was the withdrawal from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, where we did not see our interest. A decision was made on inter-municipal cooperation with the Municipality of Gracanica, and we terminated agreements that had been concluded with the Municipality of Podujevo, the Municipality of Kamenica, and the company Trepca-Jug. A decision was also adopted to initiate the procedure for changing the symbols of the Municipality of Leposavic, as we believe that certain symbols established by the previous assembly were not in the interest of citizens, who were neither involved nor were the legal procedures for adopting such decisions followed,” Rakic told Kosovo Online.

He added that at the outset they faced major difficulties due to incomplete documentation, which made it impossible to assess the functioning of the previous assembly. After addressing the Ministry of Local Government, part of the documentation was obtained, but it still does not provide a complete picture of the factual situation.

He recalled that an extraordinary session of the Assembly held during this period focused on security in the Municipality of Leposavic, as citizens are concerned about ongoing developments in recent years.

“The Assembly exists to be the voice of the people—to openly represent its citizens and to clearly warn about the failure of certain institutions to act in accordance with the law,” he concluded.

Rakic added that the Assembly submitted an initiative to the Ministry of Infrastructure requesting an assessment of road conditions.

“We witness daily that the condition of the roads is poor. Some works have been carried out, but nothing has been done regarding infrastructure alongside the roads. We want transparent information on who is carrying out the works, what the plans are, and when certain activities are scheduled. At the moment, we know nothing about that,” he pointed out.