December 25^th

The United Nations Development Program finances training for 76 people employed by the City Administration, as well as with direct and indirect users of the city budget, in order to improve energy efficiency in the City. These are people who work in preschool institutions, schools, local community offices and other facilities, and 76 of them cover a total of 220 buildings in the city. The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Mining and Energy and, according to the Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur, it will enable easier, faster and more efficient data entry, in real time, on the consumption of energy and water, but also contribute to spotting immediately the so-called black spots energy consumption. “The workers of the City Administration were overburdened with a bunch of papers that were coming from direct and indirect budget users; implementation of such information system would prevent these situations. This is a big step towards rapid and efficient data processing, and, at the same time, it will be an objective indicator where this local self-government should channel resources so that we can be more energy efficient, “Bandjur said. He emphasized that Nis was one of the first cities in Serbia to appoint the Energy Manager and seriously worked on promoting energy efficiency to which we were bound by the Law on Rational Use of Energy, as well as the Energy Law. According to Maja Matejić, UNDP Energy Portfolio Manager, this project is funded by the Global Fund for Environment with  2.5 million and it aimed to introduce energy management in the public sector and increase the energy and cost efficiency of public facilities and communal services.

December 25^th

The Public Enterprise City Directorate for Public Transport has prepared New Year’s gifts for children this year. This time, Santa Claus, together with the Director of this company, Sasa Petronijevic and Nis City Council Member for Social Care Tijana Djordjevic Ilic, presented the gifts to the children attending the school 14. oktobar while taking the regular drive by bus. According to Tijane Đordjević Ilic, the City of Nis supports such actions of the companies which show the social responsibility. “I am pleased that we are organizing such activities, which put smile on children’s faces I wish to all children a happy, carefree and healthy childhood, and a happy New Year to all fellow citizens. The Director of City Directorate for Public Transport Sasa Petronijevic pointed out that these actions have become tradition and that this year 30 New Year’s gifts were prepared. This company tries to help those who need help whenever possible. “We also donated an AC to the Clinical Center and we are always trying to help.”

The Office for Local Economic Development and Projects marked the completion of the year with a cocktail organized at the Nis Officers‘Mess Building, attended by numerous guests, representatives of local self-government, institutions, business community. After the welcoming addresses by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and Mr. Heskens, the advisor to the Serbian president for investments, the Head of the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects Mr. Milan Randjelovic and Deputy Head of the Office Mr. Ivan Petkovic, presented the most important investment and development projects that OLRDP implemented this year and was planning for the following year. The Office for Local Economic Development was established in February 2009 with the technical and professional assistance of the USAID MEGA Program in the form of a special section within the Office of the Mayor. In the period from 2009 to 2016, the departments of the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects functioned as separate organizational units, while the Office itself had from 3 to 7 employees. By amending the Statute of the City of Nis at the end of 2016, it was decided to improve the organizational structure of the city administration in order to improve efficiency. Thus, the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects of the City of Nis was formed. The office currently has 35 employees, a budget of 750 million dinars and thus necessary material and personnel resources, as the independent body of the City, to implement the most important city projects in close cooperation with the City Administration. Since its establishment until today, the Office has participated in or led the preparation and implementation of the most important projects and investments in the city, such as YURA CORPORATION, SHINWON, BENETTON, JOHNSON ELECTRIC, LEONI, INTEGRATED MICRO ELECTRONICS, ZUMTOBEL, followed by development projects, among which the most important were Waste Water Treatment and  Scientific Technology Park , but it also worked intensively to support the local business community and existing investors. All these projects are projects of national importance and their realization is successful primarily because of the excellent cooperation that the Office has with the Development Agency of Serbia – former SIEPA, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Serbia.