– The aim of the Ranking is to identify the best-managed communes in Poland. It recognizes local governments that most effectively care for development and improving the quality of life of their residents in accordance with the principles of responsibility and financial security, the organizers report.

For 11 years, since the beginning of the “Rzeczpospolita” Local Government Ranking, an independent Chapter of experts has overseen the methodology for selecting the best cities and communes. The selection of winners takes place in two stages. In the first stage, the cities and communes that managed their finances most effectively in 2010–2014 and invested the most during that period were selected. The selection was based on data from the Ministry of Finance concerning all local governments in Poland in the designated categories.

The assessment included, among other things:

  • the rate of growth in capital expenditure (excluding EU funds) per resident in 2010–2014
  • the value of EU funds per resident; funds credited to the commune/city budget account in 2012–2014 were taken into account
  • the individual debt ratio, which came into force in 2014
  • the operating surplus in relation to revenue in 2010–2014
  • the rate of growth in own revenue in 2011–2014
  • the ratio of investment expenditure to the increase in debt in 2011–2014
  • the rate of growth in total expenditure per resident, in selected sections, in 2011–2014
  • transport and communications
  • environmental protection.

A total of 565 local governments qualified for the second stage. The second stage assessed information provided by local governments that had answered the questions in the survey:

  • the share of expenditure on contracts with non-governmental organizations in 2011–2014
  • the number of applications submitted for funding for non-governmental organizations in 2011–2014
  • housing expenditure per person in 2011–2014
  • the results of tests taken by lower-secondary and sixth-grade students in 2013–2014
  • the number of new business entities operating in the commune in 2011–2014
  • whether the office operates using one of the following management-support methods/tools: CAF, EFQM, ISO, PRI
  • the credit rating
  • whether the financial statement had been audited by an independent auditor
  • the share of expenditure on promoting the commune in total expenditure in 2013–2014
  • cooperation with auxiliary units
  • support for entrepreneurship development
  • initiatives within public partnerships
  • whether the commune has a spatial development plan; whether building permits are issued on the basis of an administrative decision on development and land-use conditions
  • ways of preventing unemployment
  • Large Family Card.

In this year's edition of the “Innovative Local Government” ranking, Bolesławiec placed fifth in the category of urban and urban-rural communes. It was the top-ranked commune in Lower Silesia. The ranking of innovative local governments assessed their use of the Internet, telecommunications and modern infrastructure in their activities.

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