A new draft structure with a separate cultural heritage protection division has appeared on the Mykolaiv City Council website

The Mykolaiv City Council has refused to combine heritage protection with architecture. Photo: Vladyslava Kazmina

The draft of the updated structure of the executive bodies of the Mykolaiv City Council, which was published on the city council's website, includes a separate body that will be responsible for cultural heritage protection issues.

This is the cultural heritage protection sector of the Mykolaiv City Council, according to NikVesti.

According to the document, the cultural heritage protection sector will be included in the city council's executive committee alongside departments, administrations and other structural units as a separate body, independent of the culture administration, of which it is currently a part. It will also be added to the list of executive bodies of the city council.

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In addition, the decision proposes to approve the updated structure of the executive bodies and their internal organisation. The document states that the cultural heritage protection sector will have three staff members.

The draft decision also mentions the creation of three new departments: internal audit, public works inspection, and procurement.

The total staffing level of the executive bodies of the Mykolaiv City Council, in accordance with the current community budget for 2025, remains unchanged despite the liquidation of several departments — 1,115 staff positions.

In July 2025, the Mykolaiv City Council presented a draft decision on streamlining the structure of the executive bodies. It provided for the liquidation, merger and renaming of a number of departments, a reduction in the number of chief administrators of budget funds, the centralisation of procurement and the redistribution of powers between the executive bodies. At that time, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych emphasised that the final number of employees would be determined after the approval of the regulations and job descriptions, and that the staff would be reduced.

As part of the discussion of the updated structure, there was also talk of changing the subordination of functions in the field of cultural heritage protection. In particular, the initial version of the draft provided for the transfer of these powers from the culture department to the architecture and urban planning department.

However, after a public discussion involving representatives of relevant departments and the public, the city council rejected the idea of transferring cultural heritage protection functions to the Department of Architecture. For more details, see the article NikVesti «How Mykolaiv can change its approach to protecting historic buildings and what lies behind it».

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych announced that instead, they plan to create a separate structural unit responsible for preserving Mykolaiv's cultural heritage, which will report to the deputy mayor in charge of this area but will not be part of the culture department.

The city council explained that this format should avoid potential conflicts of interest and ensure a clearer division of powers in the field of protecting the city's historic buildings.