The Transparent Cities program functions to increase the capacity of local self-government even in times of war. So, this year, instead of the traditional Transparency Rankings, we conducted an adapted study of the transparency of the work of city councils during the war in 2022.

Our analysts studied 70 mostly rear cities of Ukraine according to 40 indicators. The average rate of their implementation in cities is 37.5%. Those indicators that are required by law are fulfilled by 47.8%.

The Stryi City Council, Lviv Oblast, turned to us for recommendations on its results — we, of course, agreed. So, let's analyze in detail how the city implemented the indicators of the study, and what Stryi needs to do to become more transparent. 

Of the 40 indicators, the city has fully implemented 6 indicators and 2 more — partially. Local authorities publish information about municipal real estate for lease, inform about the decisions of the city council and the mayor, and also allow residents to send an appeal to the e-mail box. 

In addition, a version for people with low vision is available on the website of the city council. Residents can easily enroll children in kindergartens online and find a list of shelters in Stryi, which is relevant in the context of regular russian shelling. 

However, the city council did not implement another 29 indicators, so Stryi received the status of a “non-transparent” city. 

What should Stryi do to become more transparent?

• Publish minutes of meetings of the city council and its bodies — for example, in the “Documents” section on the official website of the city. Since 2023, Stryi City Council has resumed the publication of the minutes of the standing committees' meetings; this practice needs to be preserved.
• Publish draft agendas of meetings of the city council and the executive committee. This point, like the previous one, is binding, in accordance with Ukrainian law.
• Announce and broadcast the meetings of the city council and its bodies. Residents should be provided with equal access to the political processes of the city.
• Publish lists of open data sets. This indicator is implemented by most of the cities in the study, and it does not require special knowledge or serious resources. Open data, which the city council is obliged to publish by law, also include registers of land lease agreements for 2022, registers of advertising means, register of municipal real estate. 

The city council must respond directly to the challenges of war. Every fifth resident of Stryi is a displaced person, so, it is important to integrate internally displaced people (IDPs) into the life of the city. Therefore, we recommend that Stryi develop an application or create, for example, a telegram channel with all essential information for IDPs. This is about affordable housing, registration, the issuance of humanitarian assistance, or employment opportunities.

Stryi district has also hosted a number of relocated businesses — the community ranks second in Lviv Oblast in terms of their number. Therefore, we recommend publishing more information on the site about the work of entrepreneurs in the conditions of war, for example, post information about tax rates, credit benefits, microgrants, and study opportunities. This will contribute to the development of business in the city and will help the economy of the country.

How do you bring this to life?

Before implementing reforms or new transparency tools, we advise city councils to develop a detailed plan with goals and steps towards them. Given our experience, this increases the efficiency of the city authorities, makes the process logical and consistent. Transparent Cities experts are ready to review the developed plan and advise on its improvement upon request. 

We strive to make all Ukrainian cities as resilient and transparent as possible. Therefore, the program is open to cooperation with Ukrainian municipalities.

In particular, city representatives can contact us for consultation. Write to the program's email transparent-cities@ti-ukraine.org