Serhii Sukhomlyn was elected for the position of the Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Local Authorities during the first session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President, which took place today in Khmelnytskyi.

The purpose of the Congress is to improve the relationship between the local and state authorities.

The Mayor says that decentralization has empowered local authorities, but at the same time it has also made them responsible. Local government leaders now have a much greater responsibility for the lives of people in communities.

Serhii Sukhomlyn shared Zhytomyr’s experience in various projects related to energy and thermal modernization, as well as modernization of Zhytomyr Vodokanal (Zhytomyr Water Supply Company). The city participates in all international programs available in Ukraine, such as NEFCO, SECO, GIZ; many projects are being implemented in cooperation with the World Bank and the EBRD. In recent years, enormous financial resources have been invested in the modernization of the city district heating network and Public Utility Zhytomyrteplokomunenerho.

“We are constantly talking about the price for gas. I dream of a time when we will forget what the price for gas is… In a few years we will have built modern CHP plants that run on alternative fuel. We are commissioning the first one in August”, says the Mayor and invites the President of Ukraine to Zhytomyr at the opening of a new modern CHP plant.

“Zhytomyr is a pilot in the field of thermal modernization and a leader in the implementation of the water supply modernization project. We invite you to the Office of the President to share your experience”, said Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

As of today, a permanent Congress Office will operate at the President’s Office. The body consists of a Chairman, a Presidium and two Chambers: the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. It should be noted that during the first session of the Congress, Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi was elected Chairman of the Chamber of Local Authorities. Together with Serhii Sukhomlyn, Mayor of Dnipro Borys Filatov also became Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Local Authorities.