Tallinn's Half-Billion Euro Budget Passed
Tallinn City Council passed the 2014 budget a little after midnight this morning after a 10-hour discussion.
Originally submitted as a 501-million-euro package, the budget saw 351,000 euros added to it in the second reading, with amendment proposals submitted in the third reading raising the total an additional 1.13 million euros.
The 503.2 million euros in the 2014 budget makes it 3 percent larger than this year's budget.
The sitting lasted for 10 hours, with opposition parties protesting that their objections were not addressed by the majority Center Party government.
"The opposition's questions and criticism went without getting any sort of substantive response from [Mayor] Savisaar," said IRL's Toivo Jürgenson. "But you can't expect any constructive discussion from a mayor whose remedy for unlit streets is to wear reflective patches."
IRL and the Reform Party boycotted the third and final reading.
But along with IRL's 15 amendments and Reform's seven, it was the Social Democrats who put up the most opposition, submitting 666 proposals.