More than a third of the staff are administrative: deputies take on Mykolaiv’s municipal enterprise

Members of the Mykolaiv City Council instructed the director of the Municipal Enterprise “Directorate of the Single Customer “Pilot” Ihor Holovaty to provide a detailed staffing table of the enterprise, information about positions and the actual duties of employees. The reason was questions from council members regarding the ratio of labor to administrative staff. The issue was discussed on 21 September 2026 during an meeting of the city council’s standing committee on housing and communal services.

During the discussion, Mykolaiv City Council member Iryna Boychenko drew attention to the number of employees who directly carry out repairs of children’s and sports playgrounds. According to the information provided by the enterprise, servicing more than 1,200 such playgrounds falls to 17 core workers and 3 auxiliary workers.

Iryna Boychenko asked the director of KP “Pilot” Ihor Holovaty whether that number of employees is sufficient and also inquired about the issue of booking. The director explained that the noted 17 employees relate specifically to the playground repair direction, while the overall headcount of the enterprise is significantly larger.

According to Ihor Holovaty, among the main areas of work of KP “Pilot” are repairs of children’s play and sports grounds, supplying the population with purified water, eliminating the consequences of enemy shelling, repairing retaining walls, tiled and sidewalk surfaces. At the same time, the director acknowledged that the enterprise lacks employees.

“And there are always shortages. But as a manager I understand that the staff cannot be unlimited, and you cannot constantly appeal to the housing and communal services department or the city council with proposals to increase the number of staff positions. Especially considering the budget situation. Therefore, as a manager I try not to increase just the number of people, but to turn quantity into quality,” — said Ihor Holovaty.

He also reported that he has been the director of KP “Pilot” since July 2020. During this time, he said, the enterprise has dismissed some employees. Regarding booking, Ihor Holovaty noted that initially the enterprise had the ability to book 50% of employees, and now this figure is 100%.

Separately, the issue of the ratio of administrative to labor staff was raised by Mykolaiv City Council member Yurii Stepanets. According to the information provided by the enterprise, of 99 employees, 64.5 are workers and 34.5 are administrative staff. The council member asked Ihor Holovaty to explain who exactly is included in the administrative staff.

The director replied that the enterprise tried not to increase the number of administrative employees. At the same time, when he took over KP, some of the necessary specialists, he said, were not present.

“There was no procurement specialist, there was no person handling tenders — and not just handling them, excuse me, in a way that you wouldn’t end up in trouble tomorrow, but properly. A procurement specialist who doesn’t seek personal gain, who knows how to work with contracts, who can put it all together. That wasn’t there; I had to create it. So that includes the legal department, so that includes the accounting,” — explained Ihor Holovaty.

He said that because of this, the enterprise had to form a legal department, an accounting department, and a procurement direction. At the same time, the director noted that some employees who formally belong to the administrative staff also perform physical work.

“Everyone has working hands. Everyone performs. And the same head of department takes and tightens bolts,” — said Ihor Holovaty.

He also explained the presence of 2 deputies as necessary for separate support of the enterprise’s core activities, as well as legal and financial matters. According to the director, some administrative employees also deal with interaction with donors and international organizations. Yurii Stepanets asked the director whether he considers justified a ratio in which about a third of the staff is administrative. Ihor Holovaty replied that he considers such a ratio justified.

“I believe that in this case it is justified. At the same time, I believe that there is no need to further increase the staff at the communal enterprise ‘Pilot’. But I stick to my opinion that whatever number there is now is already enough,” — said Ihor Holovaty.

At the same time, council member Yevhen Prudnyk stated that he sees an imbalance between administrative staff and workers in labor professions.

“I definitely see a skew there, no matter what arguments you give that people there do not shy away from work, take the keys themselves and so on. Well, then transfer them to working professions, but this is clearly excessive,” — said Yevhen Prudnyk.

The council member also suggested that the size of the staff may be influenced by the availability of booking at the enterprise and proposed reviewing the staffing table. At the same time, he noted that for concrete conclusions the deputies need detailed information about each position.

As a result, the committee members instructed KP “Pilot” to provide the enterprise’s staffing table specifying the number of employees, their job duties and information about actual work. In particular, deputies want to see separately the number of accountants, heads and their deputies, as well as workers and the directions of their work. 6 deputies voted for this decision, against — 0, abstained — 0. The decision was adopted.

KP “Pilot” is engaged, among other things, in the repair and maintenance of children’s and sports playgrounds in Mykolaiv. In July 2026 the enterprise reported repairs of 7 children’s locations in different districts of the city and renewal of sand covering at another 14 playgrounds.

Previously residents of the Korabelnyi district repeatedly complained about the condition of children’s and sports playgrounds, and their appeals were forwarded for execution specifically to KP “DYEZ “Pilot”. Previously we wrote:

• Million salaries amid losses: directors of Mykolaiv communal enterprises earn as much as whole brigades of workers
• A children’s playground was renovated in Kulbakyno: in total 7 locations were repaired in Mykolaiv
• In Mykolaiv, after shelling, they are reinforcing the roof of an apartment building and boarding up broken windows
• In Mykolaiv, new benches on the playground bend under adults
• Icy conditions and electricity solve everything: how water distribution points work in Korabelnyi