On Wednesday, 25 July, councillors of the Bolesławiec City Council resumed the June session and returned to the draft resolution effectively reducing the salary of President Piotr Roman. As it turned out, all Council committees gave the draft a negative opinion. Bolesławiec Secretary Jerzy Zieliński took the floor and informed the councillors that the City Hall had asked the ministries for clarification on the matter.
What did the ministry officials reply?
“The replies we received not only clarified nothing, but also ended with the statement—true, incidentally—that the ministry is not authorised to interpret laws. That is the role of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Tribunal,” J. Zieliński said. He added that City Hall officials had pointed out to the ministry officials that the procedure for introducing the new regulations conflicted with at least four laws.
“The issue of the salaries of commune heads, mayors, presidents, county heads and marshals has become a strictly political matter; it has nothing to do with legally regulating the employment situation of heads of local-government units,” the secretary commented.
What does the president say?
Piotr Roman announced that he would not participate in this part of the Council’s proceedings. But he immediately added that, regardless of the decision made by the councillors, he would work with the same intensity as before. He added sarcastically: “I do not feel jointly responsible for the government’s awards scandal.”
Then he left the Council Chamber.
What about the president’s salary?
The councillors did not adopt the resolution on reducing the president’s salary. Almost all voted against it. Only Bogdan Biernat, a Law and Justice councillor, abstained.
Let us recall. On Tuesday, 26 June, we reported that during the upcoming session of the Bolesławiec City Council, the councillors would adopt—or not adopt—a resolution on setting the salary of the President of the City of Bolesławiec. Until then, under a resolution adopted in December 2014, P. Roman earned PLN 12,365.00 gross. From July, he was supposed to earn nearly PLN 1,500 gross less.
He was supposed to, because, as reported on the Bolesławiec City Hall website:
Due to doubts concerning the legislative process, arising from legal opinions, the councillors did not proceed with the draft resolution on setting the salary of the President of the City of Bolesławiec.
The chairperson announced a recess until [...] 25 July. On that day, the session would continue, during which the draft resolution on setting the salary would be considered.