In the previous text, we explained how the Municipality of Tetovo is organized, how the Mayor and the Municipal Council are elected, how decisions are made and what is the role of the municipal administration. However, the administration does not function as a single institution. It is organized into specialized sectors, with each sector having clearly defined competencies and responsibilities.
Such an organization allows each important area of the municipality’s operations to be managed by professionals from different profiles – lawyers, economists, architects, engineers, environmental experts, IT specialists and administrative officers. Each sector is managed by a sector head, who coordinates the work of the departments belonging to the sector and ensures that the tasks are implemented in accordance with the laws and programs of the municipality. The organization of the municipal administration is determined by the official organizational chart of the Municipality of Tetovo.
The municipal administration of the Municipality of Tetovo is organized into 11 sectors, which cover all key areas of local self-government. In addition to them, independent organizational units operate within the administration, as well as specialized departments within each sector, which enable the efficient functioning of the institution.
According to the organizational chart, the sectors are:
- Sector for Coordination of the Mayor’s Activities;
- Sector for Legal Affairs;
- Sector for Financial Affairs;
- Sector for General Affairs;
- Sector for Urbanism and Construction Land Management;
- Sector for Communal Activities and Environmental and Nature Protection;
- Sector for Inspection Supervision – Municipal Inspectorate;
- Sector for Public Activities;
- Sector for Local Economic Development, Investment Promotion, Promotion of Tourism and Agriculture;
- Sector for Information Technology;
- Sector for Protection and Rescue.
In this text, we will present the first five sectors of the municipal administration, and in the following section, we will discuss the remaining sectors and independent organizational units.
Sector for Coordination of the Mayor’s Activities
This is one of the most important sectors for the daily functioning of the municipality, as it represents the main point of coordination between the mayor, the municipal administration, institutions and citizens.
Citizens often believe that the mayor’s work consists only of meetings and public appearances. In reality, behind every meeting, official visit, institutional cooperation or public event stands the work of this sector, which ensures that all activities are well organized and implemented in a timely manner.
Three departments operate within the sector.
- The Department for Coordination of the Mayor’s Activities plans the mayor’s daily agenda, coordinates meetings with citizens, institutions and partners, prepares materials for working meetings and ensures that the decisions and priorities made are conveyed to the administration for their implementation.
- The Department for Communication, Protocol and Public Relations is responsible for the official communication of the municipality. It prepares press releases, organizes press conferences, takes care of the protocol during official visits and ensures that citizens are regularly informed about the activities, projects and decisions of the municipality. In times of digitalization, this department also plays an important role in communication through the official website and social networks.
- The Department for Inter-Municipal, International and NGO Cooperation establishes partnerships with other municipalities, state institutions, international organizations, donors and civil society organizations. A large number of projects funded by the European Union or other international donors are coordinated precisely through this department.
In practice, this sector represents a “door” through which the Municipality of Tetovo communicates with the public and with its domestic and international partners.
Legal Affairs Department
Every decision made by the municipality must be in accordance with the laws. That is why the Legal Affairs Department plays a key role in ensuring legality in the operations of the municipality.
This department prepares legal acts, checks the legality of decisions, provides legal support for the mayor, the Council and all sectors in the administration.
Four departments operate within its structure.
- The Department for Normative Legal Affairs prepares the statute, regulations, decisions and other legal acts adopted by the Council or the mayor, ensuring that they are in line with the legal regulations.
- The Department for Judicial and Administrative Affairs represents the municipality in judicial and administrative proceedings, prepares legal documentation and cooperates with the courts and other competent institutions.
- The Department for the Work of the Council provides expert and administrative support for the functioning of the Municipal Council. It organizes sessions, prepares materials for councilors, and takes care of recording and archiving decisions made.
- The Local Self-Government Department monitors issues related to the functioning of local communities and ensures coordination between local self-government and citizens.
Thanks to this department, every decision made by the municipality has a solid legal basis and is implemented in accordance with the laws.
Financial Affairs Department
No public institution can function without good financial management. Therefore, the Financial Affairs Department is one of the pillars of the municipal administration.
Its task is not only to pay salaries and invoices. This department plans, monitors and controls all financial processes in the municipality and ensures that public funds are used legally, transparently and responsibly.
Five departments operate within the department.
- The Budget Coordination Department prepares the municipality’s budget proposal, coordinates the financial requests of all departments and ensures that the budget is aligned with development priorities.
- The Budget Control Department monitors the execution of the budget throughout the year and checks whether the funds are spent in accordance with the adopted plan.
- The Accounting and Payments Department makes all payments, records financial transactions and prepares accounting reports.
- The Revenue Administration Department is responsible for recording and managing the municipality’s revenues, such as local taxes, administrative fees and other sources of funding.
- The Public Procurement Department organizes public procurement procedures. When the municipality builds a street, reconstructs a school, procures equipment or implements another capital project, this department ensures that all procedures are carried out in accordance with the Public Procurement Law, respecting the principles of transparency and equal competition.
Overall, this sector ensures that every denar from the municipal budget is properly planned, controlled and legally spent.
General Affairs Department
Although citizens rarely have direct contact with this department, it is one of the most important links in the functioning of the municipal administration. Its task is to ensure the smooth administrative operation of all services in the municipality and to ensure that every document, request or official act is processed and delivered to the competent institutions or departments in a timely manner.
The work of the administration does not only consist of making decisions. Behind each decision are dozens of administrative procedures – receipt of documentation, archiving, records, translation, official correspondence and organization of daily work. These tasks are performed by the General Affairs Department.
Two departments operate within its structure.
- The General Affairs Department takes care of the receipt, recording, archiving and distribution of official documentation. It also provides administrative support to all departments, takes care of the archive and ensures proper management of official documents. Thanks to this department, administrative procedures are carried out in a timely manner and in accordance with legal procedures.
- The Department for Translation and Proofreading of Official Languages has a particularly important role in a multiethnic municipality like Tetovo. Its task is to ensure that all official documents, decisions, public calls, notifications and other materials are available in the official languages used in the municipality. This ensures respect for the linguistic rights of citizens and equal access to public information. Although the work of this department is often not visible to the public, without it the administration could not function efficiently.
Urban Planning and Land Management Sector
The development of a city does not happen by chance. Every new street, residential area, public facility, park or infrastructure project must be planned in advance and harmonized with legal regulations and urban plans. The Urban Planning and Land Management Sector is responsible for this.
This sector has one of the most important roles in the long-term development of the Municipality of Tetovo. It ensures that the city develops according to plan, sustainably and in accordance with the public interest.
Four departments operate within the sector.
- The Urban Planning Department prepares detailed and other urban plans that determine the future development of the city. New settlements, streets, public areas, green zones, business and residential buildings, as well as other contents that will shape the space in the future are planned here.
- The Urban Planning Implementation Department ensures that the adopted urban plans are applied in practice. It coordinates their implementation and ensures that construction activities are in accordance with the applicable planning documentation.
- The Department for Construction Land Management manages the construction land under the jurisdiction of the municipality. It implements procedures related to the use, arrangement and disposal of construction land, in accordance with legal regulations.
- The Department for Expropriation implements procedures for securing land when it is necessary for the construction of facilities and infrastructure of public interest, such as streets, schools, parks, water supply and sewage systems or other public investments.
- The work of this department has a direct impact on the appearance and future development of Tetovo. Thanks to its activities, urban development takes place in an organized manner, in accordance with legal standards and the needs of citizens.
In this first part, we presented the first five departments of the municipal administration of the Municipality of Tetovo and their role in the daily functioning of the institution. Although their work often remains unnoticed by the public, they represent the foundation on which the entire local self-government functions.
By coordinating the activities of the mayor, ensuring the legality of decisions, financial management, administrative support and urban planning, these sectors contribute to the efficient operation of the municipality and to the provision of better quality services to citizens.
The second part of this series will present the remaining sectors of the municipal administration, which are responsible for communal activities, inspection supervision, public activities, local economic development, information technology, protection and rescue, as well as the independent organizational units that support the operations of the Municipality of Tetovo.