Feasibility study for Tetovo administrative building sparks council dispute
Opposition says the plan would hand public space to investors; mayor says the fire unit will remain and get improved conditions.
A feasibility study proposing an administrative-commercial complex with a private partner has opened a rift among members of the Municipal Council of Tetovo. Opposition councillors oppose continuing discussion, arguing the plan would harm the public interest.
Contested land and financing
The study envisions new buildings on the site currently occupied by the town firefighting unit. While the plan foresees the municipality holding 60% of the project, much of that share would effectively be paid for with public funds.
“According to the arithmetic in the feasibility study, the municipality at the start has a right to 15%; of those 60% the other 45% must be bought from the investor for the sum of 7.7 million euros, which must be paid within 5 years. I think it is completely unacceptable for public space that belongs to the citizens of Tetovo to be left to the investor to do as he pleases,” said Agron Arifi, Better for Tetovo.
Mayor Biljal Kasami defended the document as a set of proposed solutions to the municipality’s space problems for administration and public enterprises, and said the fire unit would remain on site with improved conditions.
“Today we are opening the debate, we will continue further, until we exhaust it; we have nothing to hide, we are interested in debating to the end because we consider it one of the largest projects for Tetovo alongside other multi‑million projects,” Kasami said.
The dispute comes while a separate municipal construction project is already under way: in March this year work began on a three‑storey building for the municipal administration, budgeted at 1.5 million euros.
Report: Aleksandar Samardzhiev
Photo: press material from the event
