A Point of Intersection in the Relationship between Municipal Staff and Citizen

Gabriela Chiflichka, Public Relations Officer, Municipality of Kiustendil

Local authorities face and cope with the extremely difficult realities of the present day. They have to solve a great number of issues, ranging from traditional administrative services to municipal development while hindered by the lack of sufficient financial resources. Things get further complicated by the frequent amendments in legislation, which is an enormous obstacle in the process of restructuring and improving municipal activities. In addition to that, the contradiction between the restricted powers and the great responsibilities of local authorities make the efforts of municipalities for relevant policy implementation vain. Therefore, the issue of adequacy between local authorities rights and responsibilities is of key importance.

One of local government s major duties is the delivery of services to citizens. However, before considering the external environment, municipalities must create adequate internal structure and since the image of any organization depends on its employees, there comes the question of whether their attitude corresponds to local government tasks and citizens expectations.

Attitude is of core importance and it is necessary to make efforts to change it, regardless of how hard this could be. The difficulties arise from the nature of the work connected with serving people. However, to guide successfully the process of transformation that we are undergoing for 8 years now, we must revise and change entirely our attitude towards citizens. This means to perform our duties in a professional manner and to assume the relevant responsibility. The municipality is an institution for public services and as such it should regard citizens as customers and strive to offer them quality services. Problems arise from the lack of inclination for innovations, which is somewhat characteristic for this kind of institutions. It stems from the municipality s current monopoly in providing specific services, the anxiety about changing the status quo or modifying the mission of the organization.

Municipal employees qualification and background are of great importance, as well as their motivation and we should keep in mind that requirements and standards for that will constantly increase in the future.

Citizens are at the other end of this relationship. Changes which took place after 1989 placed the relations in the field of local self-government on new ground. It turned out that local authorities power is considerably limited, while people s understanding develops slowly and they are not acquainted with the division of power at the local level and the types of services municipal administration offers. This situation requires that citizens get introduced to municipal rights and responsibilities and the range of issues which local authorities are entitled to solve. This is confirmed by a survey of the types of issues with which citizens have approached our municipal administration and by the results of a telephone survey, conducted by the Bulgarian Association for Fair Elections and Civil Rights in the city of Plovdiv, published in the article Citizens and Local Government (issue 6/1996, FLGR s Newsletter).

The most frequent issues which Kiustendil citizens raise in requests to the municipality concern municipal housing, illegal construction, appeals to penalty decisions, assistance in resolving issues of the land restitution committee s competence, assistance for receiving free medication and social aid. The first three issues are in fact within the competence of the municipalities and relate to their activities.

What that the citizens do not know in the other cases is that the land restitution committee and the Social Care Center are institutions of regional scope and are subordinate structures of the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, and their responsibilities are regulated by decrees issued by both ministries.

Other claims, such as property claims or disputes for settling personal relations, filed in the municipality actually raise issues that are within the competence of local courts and local police. The problem of citizens lack of knowledge of the typical municipal functions is common, it seems, to a great part (if not all) Bulgarian local authorities. In Haskovo municipality the process of resolving this problem has been initiated by the creation of a Municipal Information Center for Citizens, but it seems to me that it is necessary to direct efforts at informing the public as a whole and in detail, which means that activities of this kind should have an educational effect. This is a favorable opportunity for municipal public relations officers to implement relevant programs with the support of the media and other interested institutions. It is possible to use a wide range of means for reaching the public: interviews with the competent specialists, publishing their articles in periodicals, providing information and answering specific questions through computer networks, hot lines, mail boxes, newsletters, etc. A system of various instruments can be established, which takes into account the specific working conditions and the national characteristics. I shall be glad, if my colleagues from other municipalities would agree with me.

I think that it is important to include in a suitable manner local self-government issues, the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of citizens in the school educational programs so that the students, as future customers of municipal services will prepared for this field of communication.

The process of interaction between the municipalities and the citizens is a two-way process. Furthermore, both sides are mutually linked by the character of their relationship, which obliges them to consider its improvement and remember that they are both a part of a changing society, to whose values they should gradually adapt.

1. Since one of the main task of Foundation for Local Government Reform is improvement of public understating of the functions, rights and responsibilities of local government, we are well aware of the complexity of this issue. We know, of course, that it takes years to changing attitudes and way of thinking and we can hardly expect fast development of the social environment, in which local authorities function. It is more important to realize that, if we want local government to gain confidence and appreciation in the future we must try to initiate the changes TODAY. This can be achieved through discussions with citizens on the characteristics of local government by using up-to-date and attractive methods. A great number of the initiatives require funding. However and in spite of all:

• At the beginning of each year municipalities can carry out promotion campaigns under the motto Paying your taxes means avoiding penalty rates and supporting your community! These are the salaries of your children s teachers and of our doctors!

• Why don t we contact high school teachers and invite students to visit the municipality, the mayor s office, the Municipal Information Center? Public relations officers may assist class teachers in informing the students who are to graduate from high and technical schools on the opportunities to participate in local self-government. Thus, it won t be necessary to wait for the long and sluggish procedures for changing the educational system to be completed and get the respective approvals from the Ministry of Education. And there will be positive results! That does not require much resources, but mainly good-will and innovative spirit. We must change our own idea of the relationship between local authorities and citizens.