Prague Mayoral Candidates Clash Over 200 Billion Crowns Sitting in City Accounts

During pre-election debates, Prague mayoral candidates Zaeral Portlík and Patrik Hušbauer clashed over what to do with the nearly 200 billion crowns the city has accumulated in its accounts. One sees the sum as a necessary reserve for major construction projects, the other as money the city has simply failed to put to use for years.

A reserve for the metro and the ring road

Portlík insists the money is needed to finance the city's large-scale infrastructure projects. According to him, completing metro line D and the inner ring road alone will cost more than 200 billion crowns. He also pointed to plans for building the Radlická radiála road and reconstructing the central wastewater treatment plant.

He noted that, unlike some Western capitals, the Czech state does not co-finance Prague's metro or its inner ring road — the city has to cover all the costs on its own. "The moment a building permit is issued and construction begins, the money in that account starts disappearing very quickly," Portlík explained. He added that the pace of spending is also slowed by lengthy project approval procedures: if any party involved files an appeal, the city cannot start construction, and the reserved funds simply sit untouched in the account.

"It's not savings — it's unspent money"

Hušbauer disagreed with that interpretation. "What I'm saying is that this isn't savings, it's unspent funds. This is money that belongs to Praguers," he said. In his view, the city should invest more actively in education, housing, transport and the development of residential districts. He warned that if Prague keeps working at its current pace, the 200 billion crowns on its accounts could balloon to 300 billion within four years.

A dispute over the Finance Ministry's stance

The debate also touched on the Finance Ministry, headed by Alena Schillerová (ANO party). In one of its documents, the ministry described it as absolutely necessary to revise the law on the budgetary allocation of taxes — precisely because of growing surpluses at local governments. The debate moderator repeatedly asked Hušbauer whether, as mayor, he would be willing to stand up to his own party's minister if the changes ended up cutting Prague's revenues.

Hušbauer replied that he would defend the interests of Prague and its residents. "At the very least, I will try to explain to her what Prague's and Praguers' interests actually are," he said, adding that, as far as he knows, Schillerová has never announced any intention to take money away from Prague. Portlík, by contrast, linked the ministry's moves directly to an attempt to find additional revenue sources for the state budget.

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Source: novinky.cz