Ohrid raises tariffs for Vodovod and Niskogradba amid political backlash

Calls and criticism are mounting in Ohrid after the municipal decision to raise tariffs for the public companies Vodovod and Niskogradba. The new price schedule covers the next three-year period and will push household utility bills higher.

Local activists and the Ohrid branch of the Levica party condemned the measure as the consequence of poor and non‑businesslike management of the municipal enterprises, saying the financial shortfalls are again being shifted onto citizens.

Political reactions

Levica accused the municipal leadership of presiding over a pattern of repeated increases in fees. In a statement they said: "Since Kiril Pecakov has been mayor, the services of the public enterprise 'Gradski Pazar' have risen by 35%, parking by 40%, and the cemetery and gravesites by as much as 75%.Ohrid must not become a town where life gets more expensive every year, and the responsibility for poor management and the debts of public enterprises is paid by citizens" — Levica said.

Councillors from SDSM called the hike absurd, noting that the municipality continues to subsidize its public enterprises from funds raised from all residents yet those same companies still opt to raise prices.

The management of Public Enterprise Niskogradba defended the decision, saying the increases are minimal and negligible compared with the rising costs of maintaining the network. They also pointed out that the tariff corrections were made in line with the methodology and guidelines of the Regulatory Commission for Energy.

Photo: press material from the event