Durrës, one of the largest counties in the country, with an important contribution to the economy, due to its geographical position, does not manage to generate sufficient income from the local government, being highly dependent on the money provided by the central government. 

According to the data of the 2023 project budget report of the Municipality of Durrës, in 2022, the total expected income was about 3.2 billion ALL, from 3.7 billion ALL, which was the initial plan due to the non-realization of the income. 

Only about 40% of the budget is provided by the revenues that the Municipality collects from taxes and fees. 

In total, its own income was about 1.55 billion ALL in 2022, with no increase compared to the previous year, although the local economy is estimated to have improved in line with the country's growth by more than 4% and tourism marked its year historical best (according to operators' reports, the coast of Durrës had the highest capacity occupancy in the country, with about 90%). 

The initial plan for 2020 was for the Municipality to collect 2 billion ALL, but only 77% of it has been achieved. 

The real estate tax accounts for the largest share of its own income, with about 21% of the total. 

In terms of expenses, in 2022 a significant increase in funds for environmental protection (garbage) is observed. This item was almost 1.1 billion ALL in 2022 (expected), with a 147% increase compared to 2021. 

The municipality paid for garbage in 2022, almost 70% of the revenue it collects from taxes and fees, or 34% of the total resources it had available in 2022. 

The increase in expenses for environmental protection came after the closure of the Porto Romano landfill and the sending of waste to the Sharra incinerator in Tirana. 

The municipality of Durrës, according to its sources, generates about 200 tons of waste every day, or about 70 thousand tons per year. 

According to the contract that the government has with the garbage concessionaire in Sharre, the cost of waste disposal is 29.05 euros/ton for the entire duration of the concession. 

So every year, the Municipality of Durrës will need at least 2 million euros per year just for the payment of the concessionaire. 

In the other municipalities, environmental expenses do not account for more than 10% of the total, with Tirana having this indicator at 10% and Elbasan at 3.3%. 

As the Municipality has spent more funds on garbage cleaning, it has had less opportunity to invest in other services beneficial to the city. 

For example, for the 9th month of 2022, when the actual data from Co-Plan is available, the expenses for environmental protection were 673 million ALL, while the capital ones, 609 million ALL! 

In 2019, environmental protection expenditures were as much as 25% of capital expenditures. 

Expenses for staff salaries account for about 25% of the total resources available to Durrës. The total number of employees in 2022 was 1,850 and is expected to remain at almost the same levels until 2025. 

(Source: Monitor)