Community participation budget in Kostanay: while courtyards are transforming, issues persist.

In the municipal budget, 1.4 billion tenge has been allocated for the improvement of 46 courtyards in 2024. According to the Akimat of Kostanay, there are still 84 courtyards that need to be tidied up. The authorities in Kostanay note that there may not be enough funds to complete the improvement work for all remaining courtyards in 2025, with costs reaching into the billions. Issues are also caused by unscrupulous suppliers who fail to meet their contractual obligations on time or deliver poor-quality work, as reported by inbusiness.kz.

The authorities are also utilizing another tool to address safety issues in courtyards - the "Public Participation Budget" (PPB) project. This initiative allows the Akimat to work more precisely by directing funds to solve the problems of the most active and concerned residents. According to the participation conditions, applicants must not only submit a request but also justify their wishes. There are limits on the maximum amount (50 million tenge) and requirements for the number of votes from ordinary Kostanay residents (at least 50 individuals). Given the growing interest in the "Public Participation Budget," it can be said that the project is in demand despite all challenges.

In 2020, when the selection was first announced, only nine people submitted applications. For two consecutive years, the city implemented five projects each year. The situation changed in 2022 when 19 projects were approved for implementation, receiving votes from over 1,200 residents. Over the four years of implementing the PPB projects in Kostanay, 34 ideas proposed by residents have been realized, totaling 434.5 million tenge.

The experience of the "Public Participation Budget" has shown that people are not always able to accurately estimate the costs of their projects. There have been instances where the implemented ideas turned out to be distant from the original concept that the applicants had in mind. The Akimat has been trying for several years to find an optimal way to interact with participants in the "Public Participation Budget" project. They even proposed conducting topographic surveys and attaching them to the selection application. However, this does not alleviate the authorities' issues with service providers.

As reported by the city's Department of Economics and Budget Planning, half of all projects approved for implementation in 2024 (based on the results of the 2023 selection) turned out to be problematic.

"There are ongoing legal disputes regarding three projects. The city's Housing and Communal Services Department has filed a lawsuit to recognize the supplier, LLP "Ferrazh-30," as an unscrupulous participant in state procurement. These projects include a children's playground on Borodina Street, houses 223 and 225. Additionally, there is a children's courtyard playground located at: 5th microdistrict, house 3. The third project is the 'Alley of Journalists' on Kozybaeva Street," noted Natalia Turlubekova, head of the Department of Economics and Budget Planning.

For two other courtyard improvement projects, the contract with the supplier LLP "KazWestTeam" was unilaterally terminated by the Housing and Communal Services Department. This occurred after the supplier failed to sign the supplementary agreement. However, the reason here was the technical malfunctions of the state procurement portal, and now the supplier is contesting the decision of the state authority. While disputes are ongoing, two courtyards in Kostanay have children's playgrounds without tartan surfaces. Their total cost exceeds 28 million tenge.

The city Akimat believes that many problems arise because competitions are won by out-of-town companies, which often hire local builders for the work. And it is precisely under such contracts that issues most frequently arise during implementation. There are cases where contractors haven't even begun work.

After amendments were made to the law on state procurement changes, the authorities gained the opportunity to set requirements for suppliers, including resource and territorial requirements. However, such competitions need to be conducted openly. Judging by the attitude in the city Akimat, the authorities plan to take advantage of this opportunity.

In 2024, 30 ideas with a total cost of nearly 800 million tenge were approved. More than 2,700 Kostanay residents voted for them. Funds for implementation have been allocated in the 2025 budget, and the city's application received support from the regional Akimat.