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Zenica utility and council leadership crisis

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-24 21:22 UTC → 2026-10-27 22:02 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Zenica ~~municipal~~ utility and council leadership crisis

The city of Zenica is experiencing multiple utility service disruptions driven by municipal contract and budgetary disputes. In mid-October, communal hygiene services including street cleaning and waste bin emptying were suspended by the utility company ALBA Zenica. The company cited a failure to finalize a contract annex regarding price increases and retroactive billing, which has threatened its liquidity. In response, Mayor Fuad Kasumović proposed terminating the contract, alleging the company failed to build a required sorting facility. Simultaneously, the Zenica City Council failed to pass a heating season organization program or approve new central heating prices. During an emergency session, officials rejected a proposal to implement a 35 percent price increase for citizens while covering remaining costs through a 50 million KM municipal loan. This deadlock left the heating system, operated by JP Grijanje Zenica, running at a ‘technological minimum’ to avoid technical failure. On October 21, the City Council reached a resolution by approving the heating season organization program and a new pricing structure for 2026/2027. Under this decision, individual heating costs will increase by 35 percent through the end of the year, with the municipal budget subsidizing the remaining 71 percent of a projected 106 percent increase. Economic entities will face the full 106 percent increase. Following a proposal by councilman Ernad Bešlagić, citizens have a 15-day window to request disconnection from the network if they do not wish to pay the new rates. Following these disputes, the leadership of the Zenica City Council ~~has~~ collapsed. On October 23, 2026, Chairperson Snježana Vrhovac and Deputy Chairperson Mirza Husetić resigned. Husetić previously cited moral reasons, stating he could no longer ‘maintain order during meetings’. The Election and Appointment Commission has begun the process to select new leadership, requesting proposals from political entities by October 27.

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