Bitola's Public Utilities Hold About 8.85 Million Denars at "Alta Banka" - the Mayor Says There's No Need to Panic

When the opposition demanded an emergency session over the money municipal companies keep at "Alta Banka" AD Bitola, mayor Toni Konjanovski answered in two ways: he published the balances and called the request populist.

The numbers, according to his post: the water utility "Vodovod" had 427,993 denars in its account at the bank on 29 October. JPZUPPI has a balance of 3,400,000 denars and has been a client since 2014. The communal company "Komunalec", which has held an account there for more than 30 years, had 76,228 denars as of 2 November. The parking company "Parkinzi", a client since 2019, has an approximate balance of 4,450,000 denars, and the last listed figure for "Niskogradba" is 495,000 denars. "Zabeni" and "Pelalink", he says, have no accounts at the bank.

The total comes to about 8.85 million denars (roughly 144,000 euros). But the data are from different dates, and the "Parkinzi" figure is only an estimate. This is a picture stitched together from balances on different days, not one exposure on one date.

The request for an emergency session was filed by the independent council group "Poinaku", backed by councillors from SDSM, Levica and LDP. They wanted the session held on 5 November with a single item on the agenda: which public companies and institutions keep money at the bank, since when, how large their exposure is and what the municipality is doing about it. SDSM also announced a request for an urgent session of the Local Economic and Social Council.

Konjanovski claims the companies' work is not at risk, that the municipality follows the guidance of the National Bank, and that it has no direct authority to make decisions, though it can pass the citizens' voice on to the central bank. "Spreading fear and insecurity among the public by trying to distort the facts is real manipulation of the public," he said.

Maybe the panic really is unnecessary. But if the numbers are that calm, what is the problem with saying them at a council session, where councillors can ask questions and request documents? Publishing the balances is a good start. Whether the session follows is now up to the municipal bodies.