As the local government of North Mitrovica nears the end of its mandate and upcoming elections are scheduled for October, the Municipal Assembly received a request to change the land designation in order to build a new school in the Mikronaselje neighborhood. However, the Assembly did not consider the urban planning directorate’s request during today’s session, which was disrupted by a lack of quorum.
The request, submitted only in Albanian, led to the session’s suspension after the sole Serbian representative, Dušan Milunović, walked out due to the lack of Serbian translation of the document.
The Chairperson of the Assembly, Nedžad Ugljanin, confirmed the session’s postponement and announced plans to reconvene soon. He also questioned the legality of passing such decisions after the official election call, referencing a notice from the Ministry of Local Administration which states that no land use changes can be made following the announcement of local elections.
The extraordinary Assembly session initially scheduled for Friday with a single agenda item — a proposal to change the land use designation from agricultural to construction land — was postponed and rescheduled for today at 10 a.m. The goal of the land-use change is to enable the construction of a primary school, known as the “9+1 School,” in Mikronaselje.
According to the document delivered to councilors and media only in Albanian, the request came from the municipal Directorate for Urban Planning, Cadastre, and Geodesy through Mayor Erden Atić, who was absent from today’s session alongside the directorate’s representative.
The parcel in question (cadastral unit P-73808130-02504-1), measuring 7,050.7 square meters, is located adjacent to an unfinished sports hall and currently hosts a children’s playground. It borders the sports hall to the east and a driving school polygon to the southwest — both municipal properties.
The urban planning directorate emphasized that, because the land is currently classified as agricultural of the fifth category, a change in land use must be approved by the Assembly before construction permits and urban conditions for the school can be considered.
Milunović’s departure caused the session to lose quorum, forcing its suspension.
Ugljanin acknowledged that the request was only provided in Albanian, violating the statute’s requirement for bilingual communication. He stressed that it is the urban planning directorate’s responsibility to provide translated documents, not the Assembly’s.
Despite the setback, Ugljanin confirmed he requested a translation and intends to resume the session soon.
Complicating the issue, the Ministry of Local Administration informed the Assembly that no decisions regarding land use changes can be legally adopted after the local elections have been called. Ugljanin, after consulting the municipal legal service, echoed doubts about the decision’s legality but noted some councilors insist on proceeding.
He said, “We received official notification that all land use change decisions are suspended after the election call. Yet some assemblies are trying to push them through — is this is legal or not? Well, it isn’t.”
Ugljanin suggested the situation is caught up in pre-election maneuvering and emphasized that all municipal officials should represent the citizens of North Mitrovica fairly, regardless of ethnicity, without engaging in political campaigning that could harm the city.
He added that if the Assembly votes on the proposal, it will be clearly stated that the decision is based on the urban planning directorate’s request and that its legality depends on the Ministry’s review — which he expects to be negative.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
