The Burgas city council has approved the municipality's budget for 2026, with revenues and spending both set at 356,592,267 euros. The decision came at session No. 42 on September 21, based on a report by mayor Dimitar Nikolov.
Up to 1,500,000 euros of the budget will go toward getting Burgas ready to host Eurovision 2027. Councillors also agreed to set aside money in the 2027 draft budget for logistics, security and a cultural programme to run alongside the contest in May 2027.
For state-funded activities, the budget sets aside 152,687,655 euros, matched by the same amount in spending. On the revenue side, this includes a general subsidy from the state worth 141,990,705 euros, own revenue of 1,665,460 euros and a carry-over balance of 9,031,490 euros.
The municipality's own revenue comes to 131,904,612 euros, matching spending on local activities. Of that, 33,076,000 euros is expected from taxes and 54,244,508 euros from non-tax income. The equalisation subsidy totals 2,826,100 euros, while transfers for other targeted spending from the central budget add up to 1,009,100 euros. The state is also sending 93,900 euros for winter road clearing and snow removal on municipal roads.
The entire targeted subsidy for capital spending from the central budget, 2,453,200 euros, goes to one project: the second stage of the new building for the "Al. G. Kodzhakafaliyata" primary school in the Kraymorie district.
Funding also includes 20,445,952 euros in debt financing and 14,763,174 euros in temporary interest-free loans. Listed with a minus sign are 3,402,000 euros for repaying municipal debt principal, 3,632,218 euros under other financing, 1,456,380 euros in transfers between budgets, and 1,150,000 euros in transfers between budgets and EU funding accounts.
The carry-over balance from 2025 totals 22,086,526 euros, of which 13,055,036 euros covers municipal-responsibility activities and co-financing. Both on the revenue and spending side, EU funding accounts carry an indicative annual estimate of 72,000,000 euros.
Wages for state-delegated activities get 16,669,222 euros, while local activities and co-financing get 14,576,081 euros. The latter is spread by month: 1,214,673 euros from January to November, and 1,214,678 euros in December.
Secondary spending units will receive 80% of their approved budget from municipal revenue up front. The remaining 20% will be paid out in the last quarter of 2026, once revenue collection has been checked and if the need is shown to be real.
Under the budget of the "Municipal Properties" enterprise, 13,000 euros has been approved for two single-seat "Optimist" class training sailing boats, along with their equipment. They will be used to train beginners from school sailing clubs at the Sarafovo and Kraymorie ports.
Councillors have told the mayor to finalise the 2026 budgets of secondary spending units and to draw up a detailed plan for EU-funded projects, in line with requirements from the managing authority and the finance ministry. He will adjust the budget by activity and line item once the funding formula for the "Education" function is set and the budgets of secondary units running state-delegated activities are approved.
Under the Public Finance Act, the mayor can shift spending between items within the same state-delegated activity, as long as this doesn't touch delegated-budget items, standards are met and there are no overdue debts. For local activities, he can also move money from one activity to another without changing the total amount, and can formally record any donations or sponsorships received, using them as the donor or sponsor intended.