Water-company votes, taxi tariffs and Eurovision fever

Shumen Municipal Council will hold an extraordinary session on 20 May to vote on mandating the municipality's representative at the 26 May annual general meeting of ViK Shumen (the city's water and sewerage company). The agenda includes approving the 2024 financial report, electing an auditor for 2025, renewing guarantees for the ViK systems, and adopting an updated company charter in line with the euro-changeover law. The council report notes the tight deadline before the AGM prompted the extraordinary session.

Eurovision fever has reached Shumen schools, where Dara's winning song replaced the standard school bell at several establishments. At SU Sava Dobroplodni, pupils sang along in the corridors; at II OU Dr Petar Beron, the morning PE session doubled as an impromptu dance routine to the hit. Nine-year-olds Hilda Garabedyan and Mladen Petrov said they already knew all Dara's songs before the contest and were proud Bulgaria finally won. One teacher called it a fitting tribute to Dara's success, given the school's focus on the arts.

Taxi companies in Shumen have asked the municipal council for a tariff increase, citing last year's 12% rise in the minimum wage, higher social-insurance contributions, and annual inflation. The proposal, tabled for the 28 May ordinary session, would set a day-rate minimum of €0.61 per kilometre (maximum €0.72) and a night-rate minimum of €0.91 (maximum €1.12). Most firms currently charge around €0.66 by day and €0.81 by night. Last October a similar hike was rejected, with only five councillors in favour, 15 abstaining and 11 against.

Independent municipal councillor Petar Petrov claims a private contractor's lorry is collecting Shumen's household waste under the guise of the municipal BKS company's fleet. Petrov released video from 5–6 May showing a truck owned by RTK (which holds a villages-only contract) collecting city containers, refuelling at a petrol station with municipal staff, and weighing the load on the municipal weighbridge, all logged as BKS activity. Workers had recently reported technical problems with BKS vehicles. Petrov said the arrangement raises 'serious suspicions' of irregular practice and will be discussed at an extraordinary council session on 20 May.

Shumen will mark 24 May (Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Slavonic Script) with a full programme. A parade along Slavyanski Boulevard starts at 10:00, followed by education awards outside the town hall. On 26 May, a torch relay will commemorate the 150th anniversary of revolutionary Panaiot Volov's death, and a dawn relay run from his Shumen house-museum to his execution site on the Yantra river near Byala is also planned. Organisers said sporting tribute suits a hero's anniversary. Events over the preceding days include a children's football tournament and a ceremony for graduating top students.