Prague 1 will not allocate funds for building repairs

Prague - The City Hall of Prague 1 will not provide contributions to selected communities of apartment owners for the repairs of their buildings this year. Although the council proposed grants totaling 18.5 million crowns for the reconstruction of 19 houses, the councilors did not approve it today. Some pointed out that many communities were unaware of the possibility of applying for a grant, the rules were changing, and the whole process was rushed. Additionally, local politicians are involved in three of the communities.
The city hall management is not giving up on the idea of announcing a similar grant procedure for next year. "It is a question of what the rules will be," said Deputy Mayor Michal Valenta (ODS) to reporters. The primary goal will probably be to provide contributions for facade repairs. It is also possible that private homeowners will be able to apply for the grant.
The discussion of the proposal lasted about an hour and a half today. "It's a good idea, but everything was terribly rushed. The rules changed, and there was no information," said opposition councilor Jaroslav Škárka (Věci veřejné). According to Mayor Petr Hejma (ODS), the current proposal was an attempt and a premiere. "We are not throwing money out of the window. We want to help the communities of owners," he emphasized.
Jan Votoček (SNK ED) was in favor of the grants. "If you reject it, 1500 residents of the district will think you are making fools out of them," said Votoček, who is involved in one of the communities. In others are Deputy Mayor Daniel Hodek and councilor Ivan Solil (both ČSSD). They had previously stated that they did not believe they were in a conflict of interest.
The voting was marked by confusion. Councilors initially decided whether to exclude those on the list of proposed communities where politicians are involved and one that allegedly did not meet the conditions. After the vote, some were unclear about what exactly was decided: whether about the exclusion of the community or, on the contrary, their inclusion. In the end, however, the councilors did not approve even the amended proposal to allocate contributions.