During Aravot’s “Confrontation” program, a discussion was held on the question of how the following two clauses stipulated in the pre-election program of the “Country to Live” party for the Yerevan Council of Elders elections are combined; on the one hand, “Elimination of fees charged by the condominium,” on the other hand, “Implementation of daily cleaning in buildings and yards.”
We present separate sections on this issue from the views of Suren Grigoryan, deputy mayor of Yerevan, number 5 on the list of the “Civil Contract” party, and Mesrop Arakelyan, co-founder of the “Country to Live” party and number 2 on the list of “Country to Live” in the Yerevan council elections.
Suren Grigoryan: When you say that condominium fees are not charged, people understand they will not pay money either. In other words, do you plan that it should be implemented at the expense of the municipal budget?
Mesrop Arakelyan: Yes, they will not pay money. It will be done from the municipal budget, considering that there has been an increase in the real estate tax, and the actual resident will pay again so that this social burden will not be.
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Suren Grigoryan: Mr. Arakelyan, you are aware, aren’t you, that you are talking about a privately owned area, not a communal one.
Community areas are taken care of with community funds. If we continue for a while, I am afraid you might start talking about repairing some private people’s houses. It is personal property. In an apartment building, it is the property of the residents of that building.
Yes, the condominium system is not established; yes, there should be professional managers, and most importantly, people should understand where the money they pay is going. Today, people’s complaint is not that they don’t want to pay money. Today, people complain that they don’t understand how their pay is spent. But when you say it should be implemented from the municipal budget, the question arises: How do you justify spending municipal funds on private property?
Mesrop Arakelyan: The issue of private property should only be regulated by law.
People pay property tax; it goes to the municipal budget. And in general, a person should wait for service from the municipality when he leaves the door.
Suren Grigoryan: That is, outside of his apartment, everything should be on the state, the community. Is that how you imagine it?
Mesrop Arakelyan: On community and condominium cooperation. I am not saying that there should be no condominiums.
The entire debate is on video
Anna ISRAYELYAN
