The representatives of Prague 7 rejected the declaration of a referendum on the new town hall

Prague - Today, the representatives of Prague 7 voted against calling a local referendum, where residents were to express their opinions on the price and design of a new town hall costing nearly one billion crowns. They based their decision on expert analyses, according to which the referendum's proposals were not properly formulated. The opposition, which opposes the purchase of the town hall, intends to appeal to the administrative court.
    "This is a vote on the admissibility or inadmissibility of the questions," said Mayor Marek Ječmének (ODS) just before the representatives' decision. According to him, it follows from the assessments of the Ministry of the Interior that the questions in the referendum's proposal are not correctly formulated. "Each representative will decide according to their will to reflect the will of their fellow citizens and neighbors," he added.
    The initiators of the referendum reject the criticisms. "What have you done to fulfill the will of the citizen to participate in the decision-making process?" asked coalition representatives Jiří Hejnic from TOP 09. The Greens are convinced that they will succeed with their appeal in court, which, according to them, will declare the referendum valid. "The mayor should then take political responsibility," stated representative Ondřej Mirovský (SZ).
    In protest against the outcome of the vote, representative Olga Sommerová (SZ) left the meeting. "I am leaving due to obstruction and demagoguery," she stated. Shortly after her, the representatives from TOP 09 also left the meeting room.
    The goal of the referendum is to limit the expenses for the new town hall to 500 million crowns, to announce a new tender, and also to hold a proper architectural competition. The coalition of ODS and ČSSD advocates for the acquisition of a new building. They fear the end of the lease in the current building on the Captain Jaroš waterfront in 2015. However, the opposition argues that the purchase will burden the municipal district for twenty to thirty years in advance. A petition for calling the referendum has been signed by about 4,000 citizens of Prague 7.
    The method of selecting the town hall, which has raised doubts from the outset, has also been assessed by the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS). The office recently stated in the results of its investigation that there were no grounds for initiating administrative proceedings. However, if the municipal district continues with the current form of demand-driven process, it could lead to circumvention of the law, according to the statement from the ÚOHS.