TALLINN - Tallinn City Council passed a 6.6 billion kroon (427 million euro) budget on Dec. 14, an increase of almost 1.2 billion kroons on the previous year. Transport featured strongly, with 640 million kroons earmarked for road repair and maintenance and 550 million for public transportation.
A further 20 million kroons will be set aside for the construction of bicycle paths and roads, pushing Tallinn closer to Mayor Juri Ratas' vision of becoming the Green Capital of Europe.
A further 220 municipal apartments will be built to feed the growing demand for public housing, coming at a cost of 54 million kroons.
The budget was passed during an extended late-night council meeting, during which lawmakers wrangled over 108 proposed amendments to the draft budget. The extra concessions won during debate saw another 30 million kroons added to the final total of the budget.
City Hall will bank on Tallinn's property boom to help boost revenue, with a projected 427 million kroons expected to flow in from the sale of municipal property in the coming year. The rest of council income is expected to be drawn from personal tax income, state contributions and a loan of 400 million to finance investments.
