New legislative proposal from the AKP for municipalities: Powers are being narrowed

Claims have emerged in Ankara political circles that the AKP is working on a new legislative proposal regarding municipalities. The proposal plans to narrow some of the municipalities' powers and establish joint management mechanisms with the central government.

NEW REGULATIONS IN ZONING AND SERVICES

According to a column by Habertürk writer Bülent Aydemir, the municipalities' powers regarding zoning permits and applications will be restricted. Under the new legislative proposal, the municipalities' zoning and decision-making powers will be shared with commissions that will include representatives from the central government. In this way, zoning applications will be more strictly monitored by the central authority.

The draft package prepared by the AKP also includes regulations to encourage urban transformation. According to Aydemir, punitive measures will be applied to municipalities that fail to fulfill their duties in urban transformation projects. Furthermore, heavy fines will be imposed on municipalities that engage in zoning practices contrary to legislation.

MAYORS' POWERS TO BE RESTRICTED

Another article in the proposal involves restricting the powers of mayors. Strict oversight of municipal expenditures will be ensured, and municipalities will be encouraged to generate their own resources. Additionally, a hierarchy and order of priority will be established for services, and intervention will occur if essential services are disrupted.

A special budget management system is planned for tourism regions, taking into account population growth and seasonal changes. For municipalities whose populations increase, especially during the summer months, it will be ensured that existing shares are increased and a different budget management strategy is followed. In these regions, more meticulous inspections will be conducted on water, waste, and transportation services.

Aydemir shared the following details regarding the package in his column:

"With the legislative proposal to be submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), a 'hierarchy of services and priority services' status will be established, referencing the duty of municipalities to 'ensure humane living conditions for citizens' found in the constitution. The goal is to enable municipalities—many of which are in debt and unable to make infrastructure investments beyond mandatory services like staff salaries and waste collection—to create budgets that are independent of the central administration but auditable, and to focus on projects requiring macro-investment, primarily metro transportation infrastructure and the diversification of water resources. The purpose of the work is summarized as 'ensuring that municipalities fulfill their service-oriented duties without disruption, the effective use of resources, and their effective oversight.'"

Municipalities will primarily fulfill services related to drinking water, sewage, environmental cleaning, transportation-traffic, and social facilities. Only after these services will they allocate space for concerts and other cultural activities. It will be ensured that allowances and foreign loans coming from the central administration and the Iller Bank are used in accordance with their purpose. A priority ranking will be established for services. For example, a foreign loan taken for transportation infrastructure, the renewal of a drinking water line, or a water treatment plant cannot be used for any other purpose. Municipalities will only be able to turn to other activities after they have performed their priority services and generated their own resources.

COMMISSION OVERSIGHT

For municipalities already audited by the Court of Accounts (Sayıştay), the Ministry of Interior's Civil Inspection, and internal controllers, there is a plan to establish an Audit Commission to ensure that expenditures are made effectively and appropriately. While AK Party sources state that a constitutional amendment is not needed for this, the issue is also expected to be discussed at the constitutional level. Some argue that for a comprehensive local government reform, changes could be made to the Metropolitan Municipality Law along with the Municipalities Law No. 5393, and that this would be sufficient. While it is noted that the duties, services, and responsibilities of municipalities are not clear in the laws, the aim is also to resolve the confusion of authority between provincial and district municipalities and the disputes over who is responsible for providing services. With the new regulation, the duties, powers, and responsibilities of municipalities will be more clearly defined; their expenditures and service quality will be measured. The commission will intervene in cases of abuse.

Some powers of metropolitan, provincial, and district mayors will be restricted, their expenditures will be strictly monitored, they will be enabled to generate their own resources, and a priority ranking and hierarchy will be established for services."