The Zymnivska AH can be called the pioneer of the decentralisation reform in the Volyn Oblast. The amalgamated hromada was formed among the first in October 2015. The journalists and representatives of the Volyn Oblast’s AHs learned about hromada’s achievements during the press tour on “Success Stories of the Volyn Oblast’s AHs” organised by the Volyn Local Government Development Centre.

The Zymnivska AH includes 24 settlements with 8,700 residents. According to Vyacheslav Katolyk, head of the amalgamated hromada, the decentralisation reform has opened many opportunities for development. Funds remain on the ground, hromadas use them at their own discretion. It is important that AHs feel the support of the state in all directions.

“The decentralisation reform aims to bring administrative services closer to the population and improve their quality. People living in remote villages do not need to go to the hromada centre to get certificate or advice. This is very important for elderly people,” says Olena Kuzmych, communications expert of the Volyn LGDC.

In Zymne ASC, hromada residents can receive 122 services.

“We are constantly evolving,” says the AH head. “This is due to the professional staff working in our hromada. They join study tours, and I only encourage them. We motivate good specialists financially.”

Vyacheslav Katolyk notes that almost no new facilities are being built in the AH, since the existing ones undergo major repairs.

In order to find out the problems that concern people, on-site receptions of citizens are being regularly held in the AH.

The Zymnivska AH practices the conclusion of intermunicipal agreements.

Regarding the use of land, the AH leases land plots. After all, it is believed that the sale of plots is a one-time action. Currently, the hromada is waiting for auctions, because there are those willing to open a snail farm, grow crops, breed cattle and even ostriches.

To ensure that residents of all settlements know what is going on in the AH, management has set the goal to cover them with high-speed Internet. Currently, two providers are working on it. The AH and hromada head have pages in social networks. But they do not discard paper media sources – the hromada’s newspaper is published here as well.

The AH head is convinced that the Zymnivska AH has good prospects, since young people do not escape from the hromada, but on the contrary, the villages are actively developing.

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