CITY IN-BASKET

CITY PASSES BUDGET, ALMOST...The 1996 city budget was finally approved by the Legislative Assembly (city council) last week. But the assembly's budget commission refused to report the final figures of income and expenditures involved, saying that they might change this week after final amendments. St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak said there were some "fantastic" parts to the budget, which "should be discussed more." He refused to elaborate, adding that he would veto the budget if the deputies did not change it.

COMMITTEE TO HELP EASE HOUSING CRUNCH...The Mayor's Office announced that it will soon create a housing policies committee to address the housing crisis in the city. It will unite the city maintenance, finance, construction department and housing committees. Special departments in the new committee will deal with construction of social houses (for veterans, blockade survivors and the handicapped) and providing housing to teachers, doctors, the military and Chernobyl survivors. It is believed that the new committee will not increase the number of the city officials, but rather reduce it due to the highly computerized nature of the work that the new committee will perform.

SPRINGTIME BLUES... Is there an end in sight to the ruinous effects of poor drainage on the city's facades? Yes and no, reply municipal authorities who are waging their usual springtime battle with gutters that have fallen into disrepair and prove pitifully unable to cope with the onslaught of thawing ice. Half the city's gutters need to be repaired but the task is not a cheap one. Despite mayoral purchases of $6,000 worth of gutters, the problem is likely to be resolved in a different way. Under consideration presently are ideas to remodel buildings so ice does not melt on roofs in the first place, which would bypass the congestion problem entirely.

SURGUTNEFTEGAS, DO NOT PASS GO...LUKoil president Vagit Alekperov and St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak signed a contract of intent which will put an end to Surgutenftegas' (LUKoil's branch in the area) monopolism of structures on the local market. LUKoil said it planned to create a whole chain of processing, storing and distribution of oil products in St Petersburg. The city administration's plans to lower gas prices at some stage as well.