A survey was conducted during a strong debate between institutions in the city of Vidin regarding a municipal credit for repair of reconstruction of streets and installation of energy saving lighting. The Vidin Municipal Council decision was counteracted in court by the regional governor.

At the same time the media and citizens sharply criticized the local authorities about the holes and darkness in the streets. The limited resources for capital expenditures from Budget 2003 are inadequate to undertake the necessary construction works.

The survey covered 250 adult citizens from all Vidin districts. For the first time the interviews were conducted by 10 people from the Temporary Employment Program to the Municipality of Vidin. Staff from the Citizen Service centre also took part. Some media published the survey form.

The main conclusions from the survey were that the problem is crucial for the residents of Vidin, its solution should not be delayed and the use of the market mechanisms proposed by the Municipal Council was met with approval. About 70% of Vidin people knew about the decision and 68 approved of it. Most people knew that the Municipality had to seek external types of funding for implementing the reconstruction works. The survey also showed that Vidin people were aware of the obstacles posed by the regional governor and over half of the respondents did not approve of his attitude. They were of the opinion that his reaction was due to unfamiliarity with the city problems.

The survey results were announced at a session of the Municipal Council and some of the media published excerpts from it. The citizen support which the municipal team received gave them confidence that they were acting in a responsible way and to the public benefit.

Soon after publicizing the results the Vidin regional court also confirmed the validity of the Municipal Council decision and terminated the legal procedures . Vidin Municipality conducted an open tender for the provision of investment credit for the reconstruction and modernization of street infrastructure and energy saving lighting. The survey acted as an arbitrary tool in the public dispute and its outcome gave the direction in which local government should act.