People in Jeseník want to prevent the construction of a water park by referendum

Jeseník - Jeseník's councilors will decide next week whether to announce a referendum on the construction of a water park. They are being pressured by a petition from local residents. They oppose the long-planned construction, estimated at around 200 million crowns excluding VAT, fearing that the city will become indebted in the future due to the operation of a wellness center. The project has been in planning by the city hall for many years, and in April a public tender was announced. The preparation of the project cost the city up to ten million crowns. Construction was supposed to start this autumn, with the city planning for the water park to open in two years.
The city council approved the construction of the water park in April by a narrow majority, with 14 out of 22 councilors in favor. They will revisit this question next Thursday, where the mayor will inform them about the petition. "To call a referendum, 20 percent of eligible voters' support is required. However, the council can also decide by law to call for a referendum on its own," said Mayor Marie Fomiczewová (ČSSD) to ČTK today. According to her, if a referendum is held, it should take place before the contract is signed, meaning by autumn. She does not understand the residents' actions at this time. "For me, this is not the most appropriate approach. There were public discussions, every stage of preparation was discussed even in the council," the mayor added.
The leadership of the city itself is not united on the issue of the water park's construction. It did not help that the current proposal for the Jeseník water park is significantly cheaper than originally planned. "Many councilors are changing their decisions because the economic situation is gradually deteriorating. Including myself. It's not about the investment; the city can handle that with the help of the subsidy, but about the operation," Deputy Mayor Libor Halas (Young for Jeseník) told ČTK today. He pointed out that, according to experts, the annual operation of the water park would cost between eight and eleven million crowns, which is half of the city's investment funds.
The Deputy Mayor also stated that he would urge the councilors to decide whether they want a referendum or not. "There would be nothing worse than if the petition initiators gathered the signatures, informed us in the autumn, and we found ourselves in a situation where construction had already started. It would cause even greater damage than now. If a referendum were to take place, it should be no later than the first week of September," Halas added.
The initiators of the petition are also waiting for the council's decision. "We have not counted the signatures yet; the sheets are still at the signing locations. We will count them only after the council meeting on June 14, when we will know whether our initiative makes sense," one of the event's organizers, Eleni Akritidu, told ČTK today. She said the initiative arose spontaneously. On their Facebook page, people are mainly pointing out the annual subsidy from the city, the sale of city assets to pay for the construction, or the possible threat to other investments in the city.
The water park is planned to be built on the site of the current city swimming pool. It is to be operated by a joint-stock company owned by the city. The city hall is expected to receive just under 80 million crowns from European funds, and Jeseník will obtain additional funds through donations and the sale of city assets, with 50 million to be covered by a loan.