As the local government of North Mitrovica approaches the end of its mandate with elections scheduled for October, the Municipal Assembly received a proposal to change the land designation to build a new primary school in the Mikronaselje/Kodra e Minatorëve neighborhood.
However, during today’s Assembly session, the request—submitted only in Albanian—was not considered due to a lack of quorum after Dušan Milunović, the sole Serbian representative, walked out in protest over the absence of a Serbian translation.
Assembly Chairperson Nedžad Ugljanin confirmed the session’s suspension and announced plans to reconvene soon. He also raised questions about the legality of passing land use decisions after the official election call, citing a notice from the Ministry of Local Administration stating that no such changes can be approved post-election announcement.
The extraordinary Assembly session, originally scheduled for Friday with a single agenda item—a proposal to change the land use from agricultural to construction—was postponed and rescheduled for today at 10 a.m. The change would allow the construction of the “9+1 School” in Mikronaselje/Kodra e Minatorëve.
According to the document provided only in Albanian to councilors and the media, the proposal came from the municipal Directorate for Urban Planning, Cadastre, and Geodesy via Mayor Erden Atić, who was absent from today’s session, as was the directorate’s representative.
The parcel in question (cadastral unit P-73808130-02504-1), measuring 7,050.7 square meters, is located next to an unfinished sports hall and currently hosts a children’s playground. It borders the sports hall to the east and a driving school training area to the southwest—both municipal properties.
Because the land is currently classified as fifth-category agricultural land, the urban planning directorate stressed that Assembly approval is required to change its designation before construction permits and urban conditions for the school can be issued.
Milunović’s walkout caused the session to lose quorum, forcing suspension. Ugljanin acknowledged the violation of the Assembly’s bilingual communication requirements, emphasizing that it is the urban planning directorate’s responsibility to provide translated documents, not the Assembly’s.
Despite the delay, Ugljanin confirmed he has requested a Serbian translation and intends to resume the session soon.
Adding complexity, the Ministry of Local Administration has informed the Assembly that no land use change decisions can legally be adopted after local elections are called. After consulting with the municipal legal service, Ugljanin expressed doubts about the proposal’s legality but noted that some councilors insist on moving forward.
“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 legal or not? It isn’t,” Ugljanin said.
He suggested the matter is caught up in pre-election maneuvering and stressed that municipal officials must represent all North Mitrovica citizens fairly, regardless of ethnicity, without political campaigning that harms the city.
Ugljanin 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—expected to be negative.
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