Jižní Město wants to break away from Prague. It’s a matter of a few years, the mayor claims
The councilors of the Prague 11 district, which also includes the Jižní město housing estate, want to separate the district from Prague and become an independent municipality. The municipality promises higher tax revenues and greater control over the territory from independence. According to the mayor of Prague 11, Jiří Štyler, the separation of South City from Prague is a matter of a few years. So far, the Prague leadership is not too worried about Prague 11 no longer being part of the capital.
Prague – The City Hall of Prague 11, which is largely made up of the “Jižák” housing estate, has started working on the documents for the part of the city to be able to break away from the capital and become an independent municipality. Jižní Město has around 80,000 inhabitants and its size corresponds to Havířov or Zlín.
“We have a methodology for turning the Prague 11 district into the municipality of Jižní Město. It’s a matter of a few years,” he specified according to the server E15.cz mayor and simultaneously chairman of the Movement for Prague 11 Jiří Štyler at a recent meeting with citizens.
Since independence, the councilors mainly promise themselves a higher tax collection, which they say could rise up to ten times. According to the mayor, the income would be 22 thousand crowns per head. At the same time, Styler is counting on the fact that he would have to contribute financially to the region, i.e. Prague, for example for public transport.
In addition to a higher collection of taxes, the tax administration also expects easier regulation of parking, gambling, establishing its own municipal police or creating its own territorial plan. “Everything would develop according to what the highest administrative body of the municipality decides, and not what mood the thirty-three representatives are currently sleeping in on Mariánské náměstí,” added Štyler.
So far, the leadership of Prague is not too worried about the fact that the South City would no longer be part of the capital. “The capital city of Prague would only deal with the matter if such a situation arose, and entirely within the framework of the applicable legislation,” said municipality spokesman Vít Hofman when asked by E15.cz.
The movement for Prague 11, which is behind the initiative, won the municipal elections in the Southern Town. The movement mainly wanted to oust the mayor of Prague 11, Dalibor Mlejnský (ODS), who, according to him, was extremely favorable to developers.