Hospital reform, solar energy and «e-tank»: a look back at the Mykolaiv City Council session

How the Mykolaiv City Council session went on 9 April, photo by NikVesti

Members of the Mykolaiv City Council approved a new healthcare network and passed a resolution on the transfer of Maternity Hospital №3 to regional ownership. Despite this, councillors blocked the city hall’s staffing reform and refused to lease land to the controversial ‘Ekotrans’ factory.

Read more about the issues discussed at the session in the report by NikVesti.

Healthcare reform: the creation of a cluster and the fate of Maternity Hospital №3

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One of the most discussed issues was the merger of the City Emergency Medical Care Hospital (EMC), Hospitals №1 and №2, and Children’s Hospital №2 into a single medical complex based at City Hospital №4. The main aim is to create a capable hospital network that will allow institutions to receive full funding from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU).

«The decision has effectively come to fruition. It could have been adopted earlier, but the institutions were given the opportunity to finalise the details. Now is precisely the moment to secure contracts for next year (...) We are now talking about merging the four hospitals in the Central District into one, which will be able to join the capable network as a cluster. This will allow us to implement organisational changes without losing the services currently available. First and foremost, this concerns obstetric-gynaecological and surgical packages at the children’s hospital, as well as other services. Therefore, this is a considered and correct decision that will allow us to preserve hospitals and doctors and expand funding opportunities,» said Hanna Nord, chair of the humanitarian commission.

The reorganisation will take place in two stages, allowing the institutions to be funded as usual during the first two months, whilst enabling the city to save budget funds.

«We will propose a model for a new cluster institution, where four hospitals will effectively operate on a self-financing basis within a single legal entity. This will allow them to develop effectively, maintain their services and foster internal competition,» said Hanna Nord.

Councillors also approved the transfer of Maternity Hospital №3 to the ownership of the region. Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych explained this by the need to establish a perinatal centre.

«The facility lacks births and is operating at a loss. Transferring it to the region will allow us to attract funding and create modern facilities, whilst retaining the staff,» commented Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The city authorities assure that the change in legal status does not mean the closure of departments or the dismissal of doctors. Councillor Olena Kiseliova also confirmed that the reorganisation is merely a change in «legal form» to receive funding from the National Health Service of Ukraine.

«For us, the priority is to retain the team. The reorganisation does not involve cutting medical staff or reducing the range of services for residents. This will enable us to pay salaries, purchase medicines and provide care for people,» concluded Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych and City Council Secretary Dmytro Falko, photo NikVesti

Reform of the City Hall structure: regulations approved, but staffing plan rejected

During the session, a legal impasse arose regarding the reform of the city council’s executive bodies. Councillors were only able to pass one of the two interrelated decisions necessary for the city hall to function fully under the new structure.

The first draft resolution (28 votes in favour) approved the Regulations on Executive Bodies. These are statutory documents that grant powers to the newly formed departments. However, the second draft resolution — concerning the internal structure and staffing levels — received only 25 votes and was not adopted.

Andrii Volkov, the Executive Committee’s Chief of Staff, noted that as a result, some departments would be unable to function properly.

«We have a general body, but, for example, the cultural heritage protection body will not be able to operate fully, as it remains part of the draft resolution that was not voted through. I cannot fully predict the problems we will face at this stage; I need a little time and consultation with my staff,» said Andrii Volkov.

The head of the legal department, Yevhen Yuzvak, explained that this situation jeopardises the work of the entire structure, as the old bodies will cease to exist in three months’ time.

«Accordingly, we have granted the new structure powers and legal validity; consequently, the old bodies lose their powers and legal validity. If we do not vote on the second resolution, we will have new executive bodies that are legally valid but will be effectively empty — there will be no one there and we will not be able to fund them, transfer staff, and so on. Under such a system, we will eventually reach a collapse of the executive bodies and their complete inability to do anything,» commented Yevhen Yuzvak.

Councillors attempted to return to a re-vote, but the necessary number of votes could not be secured. As the new provisions will only come into force in 90 days’ time, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych proposed postponing consideration of the staffing table to allow for further consultations.

Updating the normative monetary valuation of land: a legal requirement

Councillors also supported the launch of work on a new normative monetary valuation (NMV) of land in Mykolaiv. This decision marks the start of a lengthy procedure intended to bring rent and taxes into line with current legislation.

The city’s chief architect, Yevhen Poliakov, emphasised that the NMV must be updated every five years, whereas the current valuation in Mykolaiv was approved seven years ago. In addition to the legal requirement, this is due to changes in the calculation methodology and the existence of legal disputes regarding the previous valuation.

«This is not a matter of choice, but a legal requirement. We must comply with it, as it ensures that rent payments are up to date and in line with the law. The calculation methodology has changed; it has become simpler, with no room for inaccuracies during its review. If we start this work now, it will most likely come into effect from 1 January 2028. That is why we need to begin this process right now,» explained Yevhen Poliakov.

Developing the new documentation will cost the city budget an estimated 3.5 million hryvnias. However, the main issue of the discussion concerned not the cost of the services, but future payments for businesses and residents.

Councillor Olena Kiseliova noted that, due to indexation, the real value of a square metre of land for tax purposes already significantly exceeds the base figures, reaching over 1,200 hryvnias per square metre. She expressed concern that the new valuation could lead to a sharp rise in taxes.

For the new valuation to take effect from 2028, the city must complete all stages of development and approval by 15 July next year. Otherwise, the process of updating the tax base will be postponed again.

Business support: land tax relief extended for affected businesses

The City Council has approved the extension of land tax concessions for businesses whose property has been damaged as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression. The main debate centred on the duration of these concessions.

The Housing and Utilities Department proposed extending the concessions for one year, whilst the Department of Architecture proposed extending them until the end of 2027. However, councillor Dmytro Ivanov expressed the view that the concessions should remain in place until the property is fully restored, as owners often lack the resources for rapid reconstruction.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych opposed such a time limit, highlighting the danger of creating «eternal unfinished buildings».

«Then we’ll end up with all the properties that are currently unfinished. They won’t be completed in our lifetime. And they won’t be commissioned. Such a decision is risky. It is short-sighted and dangerous, I would say. Then people will simply use the land without restoring those destroyed properties, even building new ones right next to them. And the destroyed ones will not be restored,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

In the end, the councillors supported the mayor’s proposal. According to the amendment passed, the land tax exemption for damaged businesses will apply for the entire duration of martial law and for six months following its lifting.

How the Mykolaiv City Council session went on 9 April, photo NikVesti

The «Ekotrans» case: land issues blocked

Councillors also refused to grant the «Ekotrans» plan a land lease. Despite assurances from the plant’s director, Taras Pavliuk, that there were no harmful emissions, the councillors sided with the residents of Namyv, who have been complaining about noise and odours for years.

«All these measurements, which are carried out quarterly, show perfectly acceptable figures, with no exceedances. I can assure you: at present, «EkoTrans» is certainly not a source of negative impact or a breach of environmental legislation. The latest measurements were taken in March 2026 near the nearest residential buildings on Ozerna Street... the monitoring results are published and sent to the relevant authorities,» said Taras Pavliuk, director of «Ecotrans».

During the discussion, questions also arose regarding the need to develop technical documentation. Councillor Olena Kiseliova noted that the plots already have cadastral numbers. Chief Architect Yevhen Poliakov explained: despite the existence of these numbers, the leasehold rights are not registered in the register of property rights, which requires a separate resolution of the council.

However, councillor Fedir Panchenko pointed out that without the conclusion of the relevant land commission, the decision has no chance of being supported. Ultimately, the proposals received only 14 votes in favour.

The mayor advised the company to resubmit its application to the land commission and suggested that councillors hold an on-site meeting directly at the plant to inspect the condition of the equipment and assess the actual environmental impact with their own eyes.

The scandal surrounding «Enerhiia» Park: «fiction» and land grabbing

Councillors introduced technical amendments to the cooperation project with the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO). Instead of building three separate facilities, the city will construct a single large-scale solar power plant (SPP).

Mykola Lohinov, Director of «Mykolaivoblteploenergo», spoke about the advantages of concentrating capacity:

«A 9.9 MW plant is planned for this year’s heating season. All the electricity must be supplied by us at cost price either to our own facilities or to other critical infrastructure sites. This is cheaper and more cost-effective,» said Mykola Lohinov.

Under a €7.2 million grant agreement signed in July 2025, Mykolaiv was due to receive three solar power plants. However, the concept was revised during implementation.

The main reason for abandoning the previous plans to build the plant on three different sites was the legal status of the «Enerhiia» industrial park, where part of the capacity was to be located. Mykola Lohvinov accused the city’s previous leadership of falsifying documents.

«When we began developing the feasibility study, it turned out that the «Enerhiia» industrial park is a fiction, as there are illegally occupied plots of land within its territory. Furthermore, many years ago, the Zhovtneva District Administration allocated part of this territory to a gardening association, so construction there is currently impossible. The park itself effectively exists only as a set of documents, and there are also court rulings and lawsuits against the city council regarding this land,» said Mykola Lohvinov.

Due to these circumstances, the 9.9 MW SES project will be fully implemented on a new 25-hectare site in the Korabelnyi district.

Despite the three-year deadline set by the agreement, Mykolaivoblteploenergo has set a target to complete construction before the start of the 2026 heating season.

«e-tank» and «little sprats»: political trends in the chamber

During the discussion of land issues, Oleksandr Sienkevych urged councillors to avoid emotional speeches so as not to become the subject of «new memes».

«Let me stop you there for a moment... so that we don’t end up in new memes — all that checking, faking, and e-baking* (e-tank) — let’s not have any of that here. OK?» said the mayor.

*«e-baking» is humorous in Ukrainian («e-tank» in English, — note) because it phonetically resembles a crude sexual expletive, which makes the mayor’s mock-official reinterpretation of it as a government fuel cashback program even more absurd.

Councillor Serhii Kantor asked for clarification on the last term: «Oleksandr, I’m finding it difficult… could you say the third word so I can remember it?» The mayor ironically adapted the phrase to a government programme:

«That word is a government programme, which is a cashback scheme for buying fuel. It’s called the E-(electronic) tank. Well, a fuel tank».

The conversation ended with an invitation to a meeting:

«I’ll cook your favourite little sprats. We’ll sort everything out,» added Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Summing up, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych noted that despite the budget deficit caused by the war, the council remains in control. According to him, Mykolaiv continues to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine (over 6,000 drones have been supplied), and all public services are being provided in full, despite regular strikes on critical infrastructure.