Residents of Ternivka were billed several thousand hryvnias following the switch to «Mykolaivkomuntrans»

A separate procedure was introduced for residents of Ternivka this summer to sign contracts for rubbish collection with the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivkomuntrans» instead of «Evako» Ltd. However, residents of Mykolaivka have encountered a problem: the municipal enterprise has issued them with bills, in some cases amounting to several thousand hryvnias. Residents are now unsure whether they are required to pay these bills. Furthermore, court hearings regarding claims brought by the municipal transport company are due to take place in November.

This was reported to NikVesti by Olena Lysenko, a resident of Mykolaiv.

Olena explained that the problem arose for her elderly parents, who live in Ternivka. According to her, in 2022 the neighbourhood was served by «Valan» Ltd, with whom a contract was in place. But when the war began, rubbish collection ceased.

«The whole of Ternivka was covered in rubbish. People signed a contract with «Evako», and the rubbish started being collected,» said Olena.

The residents were unaware that «Evako» was not the company officially responsible for rubbish collection in Ternivka. In the spring, Olena’s parents learnt that «Mykolaivkomuntrans» had taken them to court. The pensioners were billed for a debt of seven thousand hryvnias. However, the court ruled to cancel it.

The hearing for the next claim has been postponed from August to November. Olena noted that her parents are now unsure how to proceed with this situation, as they have submitted documents to the municipal enterprise to sign a contract for rubbish collection.

The transition period for residents of Ternivka to complete the paperwork began in July: the executive committee approved the new pricing structure for rubbish collection. Olena pointed out that they had already submitted their documents, but a month later they were asked for a further statement detailing the payments made to «Evako». Following this, «Mykolaivkomuntrans» issued them with an invoice.

«Now Mykolaivkomuntrans is sending a letter stating that they are writing off the «debt» we paid to «Evako» — 6,982 hryvnias. According to the bill, we are required to pay «Mykolaivkomuntrans» 8,977 hryvnias. This results in a discrepancy. We’ve written a statement and sent all the documents. But what are we to do about this difference?» said Olena.

According to her, other residents of Ternivka are facing a similar problem. Among them are pensioners who have been charged a difference of 7,000 гривень.

«The discrepancy probably arose because the tariff at «Evako» is slightly lower than that of «Mykolaivkomuntrans». Many people on our street have received these letters. What are we to do about this difference? People’s pensions are 3,000–4,000 hryvnias. They had no outstanding debt with «Evako», but now they have to pay «Mykolaivkomuntrans». What will happen with the difference and any legal proceedings? It seems like a poorly managed transition, and people have a lot of questions,» said Olena.

She noted that residents had not received any explanations from «Mykolaivkomuntrans».

«Representatives of «Mykolaivkomuntrans», including those from the accounts department, are communicating with people in a very rude manner. I went in to ask from which month we should start paying and explained the situation. They replied: «You’ll pay us everything from 2022.» To this day, I don’t understand when we’re supposed to start paying: from the date we joined the contract with the municipal transport company on 26 August, or some other date,» added the resident.

Furthermore, Olena emphasised that many people are still unaware that «Evako» is not an official transport operator, which is why they continue to sign contracts with the company.

What the Department of Municipal Services explained

Ihor Nabatov, First Deputy Director of the Department of Municipal Services (the Housing and Communal Services Department — note), told NikVesti that the amounts claimed will be adjusted following a recalculation. In particular, they may be reduced.

«If, following the recalculation, the entire amount subject to the legal dispute is to be written off, then «Mykolaivkomuntrans» will withdraw the claims due to the absence of a subject matter for the dispute. If the recalculation applies to part of the amount specified in the statement of claim, then the claim amount will be reduced by that part, citing compliance with the executive committee’s decision,» explained Ihor Nabatov.

He emphasised that the Executive Committee’s decision was intended to prevent double payment for a single service — to «Mykolaivkomuntrans» and «Evako». However, residents must pay the difference resulting from the recalculation. This was explained by the fact that the municipal transport operator also operated in the neighbourhood according to a timetable. Therefore, they cannot start the agreement between the municipal transport operator and residents from «scratch».

«The actual difference resulting from the recalculation must be paid by the service users. The reason is that «Mykolaivkomuntrans», for its part, also provided a service: the lorry followed its scheduled route and carried out its duties, meaning it incurred the corresponding costs. The fact that some residents put out their rubbish on a day other than when the municipal transport vehicle was travelling along the streets does not mean that the company failed to fulfil its contractual obligations,» noted the First Deputy Director of the Municipal Services Department.

Ihor Nabatov also pointed out that «Evako» was, in fact, an unauthorised waste collection operator and was charging residents a rate that had not been verified by any authority. The official rates charged by waste collection operators are verified by the pricing department and then approved by the executive committee.

As for the date from which residents are to start paying for the services of «Mykolaivkomuntrans», the customer services department will contact them.

As a reminder, from 1 July, the waste collection tariff for the municipal enterprises «Mykolaivkomuntrans» and «Obrii-DKP» was increased in Mykolaiv. It was also reported that new standards for household waste generation are being developed in Mykolaiv. The Department of Municipal Services is carrying out the work independently, without involving contractors or incurring additional expenditure from the city budget.

Furthermore, in October it emerged that law enforcement agencies in Mykolaiv are investigating a possible scheme involving the illegal removal of waste from the municipal landfill, its sorting and the sale of recyclable materials. According to the investigation, officials from the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivkomuntrans» may be involved in this.