During Wednesday’s meeting of the Bolesławiec City Council, Mayor Piotr Roman presented councillors with data on eight months of operation of the Bolesławiec passport office, which we have reported on repeatedly in these pages. (The office is experiencing a genuine siege.)
Here are the figures:
| Municipality | Number of passports issued |
|---|---|
| City of Bolesławiec | 1277 |
| Bolesławiec Municipality | 410 |
| Nowogrodziec Municipality | 216 |
| Gromadka Municipality | 46 |
| Warta Bolesławiecka Municipality | 132 |
| Osiecznica Municipality | 103 |
| Lubań | 35 |
| Lwówek Śląski | 110 |
– I want to say that, expecting quite a serious problem next year, we will have to consider how to find the money to maintain this office – the mayor stated. He referred to media reports that the government will soon have to find PLN 30 billion in savings, and that this may affect local government budgets.
– If that is what happens, it will mean that the old days are returning. Our institutions will have to make very drastic cuts to their budgets, and we will have to give up some of the tasks we carry out beyond the standard scope – Piotr Roman explained.
He also added that if the financial situation really deteriorates, the office would consider ending the operation of the passport office. But he immediately qualified this: – Unless the partners whose residents also use our office actually feel inclined to contribute a very small amount, because it is one złoty per resident per year.
He stressed that the office is supported by only two local governments: the City of Bolesławiec Municipality and Bolesławiec County. The other local government heads refused to provide support.