Kazakhstanis may receive additional income for community work

Tengrinews.kz — In Kazakhstan, territorial councils will be created, which concerned citizens will be able to join. They will address issues in their local communities. Deputies have proposed paying such citizens for their public work.
Today, the Mazhilis approved in the first reading a draft law on issues of public administration and self-governance. For the first time, it officially introduces the concept of “territorial councils”.
According to the document, ordinary citizens will be able to participate in combating offenses, as well as extremism and terrorism, and address issues related to urban improvement, schools, hospitals, and more.
Mazhilis deputy Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva was asked whether this activity would be paid. She responded that her colleagues had put forward such a proposal.

“In general, we are granting this right (to pay council members). Now we have a rather non-trivial task: we need to determine which state body and which budget will provide such payments. If the akimat and the maslikhat jointly decide to reward members of territorial councils, I believe this practice is correct. If we want people to work, incentives should be предусмотрены, because public activity, especially at the level of large districts, takes up all their time. In this regard, we support it,” Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva said at a briefing in the Mazhilis.

The deputy did not specify how exactly this mechanism will be organized. The issue may be refined before the second reading of the draft law.