By Dmytro Synyak

Ivan Rubskyi, head of the Bashtanska AH of the Mykolayiv Oblast, is a symbolic figure for the Bashtanka Rayon. After working in the RSA he became the mayor of Bashtanka, having easily run out all his competitors at elections and without any agitation. In a year he also confidently won the elections of the AH head. Decentralisation has substantially increased his capabilities.

 

 

As the head of the rayon state administration, Ivan Rubsky realised the importance of attracting external funds and founded the Investment Development Centre. When Mr Rubskyi became the mayor of Bashtanka, this Centre appeared at the Bashtanka City Council. And now it is part of the AH. Moreover, it is interesting that the Investment Centre became the first unit of the newly formed hromada.

 

The unit is headed by a beautiful young woman Natalia Shaforost, former journalist of the Brovary rayon newspaper, who has recently returned to her native Bashtanka Rayon.

The main asset of the AH Investment Centre is the technopark, which, after final approval of Bashtanka general plan by the State Construction Inspection, should become part of the city. Its area is 148 hectares, and all necessary communications have been brought to it.

The next direction of the Centre's work is green energy. Due to the efforts of the Natalia Shaforost’s subordinates, the Bashtanska hromada entered the National Energy Saving Plan, which includes 35 AHs. For this purpose, a thorough energy audit of the entire hromada was carried out.

The third direction is the search for investments for the construction of small communal plants: waste sorting, waste incineration, asphalt and tile-producing ones. The fourth is the search for grants.

“We are already actively cooperating with USAID DOBRE project, with the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, Kusanone Project of the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, and the Initiative Centre for Active Citizenship and Public Initiative Development Promotion “Union”,” says NatalIa ShafOrost. “With the help of donors, we carry out many so-called soft projects: on document analysis, staff skills development, public opinion analysis, etc. Our budget monitoring, for example, was funded by the Renaissance Foundation. And the Polish-American Freedom Foundation helped develop a strategic plan for the development of our hromada.

“And how do you stimulate the development of a small business?” I ask.

“We need programmes for agriculture and entrepreneurship development in villages,” notes Natalia Shaforost. “And our Investment Centre is currently elaborating them...”

“We have recently started to hold the Entrepreneur’s Day, we issue certificates to businessmen who help the hromada,” Ivan Rubsky comes back to the acute issue. “We strive to establish a dialogue. Some entrepreneurs, seeing that there is no control from the tax inspection, work in the shadow. I want to negotiate with the business entities, so that they gradually return to paying taxes, and we will restore the infrastructure, including the roads, necessary for entrepreneurs. Thus, we will work with mutual benefit.”

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