Created new cultural and tourism administration

With the 1 st March, a new institution – cultural and tourism administration – will be launched in the municipality of Rezekne. The Law on Cultural Centres, which entered into force in October 2022, requires the local government to ensure the implementation of the functions of the cultural centre and at least one operation of the methodological cultural centre in its territory. Based on this law, the municipality of Rezekne municipality will be the newly established cultural and tourism administration.

The purpose of the administration activity is to provide the population with a diverse cultural supply and opportunity to participate in cultural life, to promote the preservation of cultural heritage in the territory of the local government and to provide support for cultural developments, to promote the implementation of tourism and related business, spatial marketing and branding, and development policy in the local government, to promote tourism opportunities in the municipality of Rezekne, as well as to promote cultural education in the field of tourism.

Why did i need a change?

The aim of assessing the contribution of cultural workers in the Rēzekne municipality is to achieve a common approach in the field of culture, and it was clear about three years ago. The lack of specialists in several cultural houses was also a topical problem. People were not willing to work on the remuneration offered at that time. Therefore, many meetings with industry specialists have taken place over the years to find the best solutions for the joint work. Several working groups gradually worked on the creation of the new management system and the law. Both local authorities and similar experience in other municipalities were also visited.

Who will manage the administration?

The management of the administration will be organised and chaired by the Head of Administration and its deputy. On 27 January, an open competition for vacant posts was announced. All stakeholders can log in until February 10. It is also planned that the manager will be working – a staff specialist with the duties of the clerk and archivist, a library information specialist, a marketing specialist, a cultural and tourism project manager.

What is the structure of the administration?

The model developed by the working group foresees that there will be four museums in the supervision of the management of the 1 st Mart – Francis Trassa Museum “Colnasate”, Viļānu Municipal Research Museum, Maltas Museum of History, Anton Rupains Museum. There will also be 28 parish libraries, tourism information centre, Lūznavas manor complex, as well as 32 parish local cultural centres, which also include amateur art collectors and interest groups active in the area. All the institutions in rural territory will continue to work in the same way as so far, but they will be able to manage, with greater emphasis on methodological management and providing more quality services to our people.

Remuneration and loads

So far, each parish had its own understanding and principles for the payment system of amateur art collectors and interest groups. By March 1, it is systematized and arranged so that the approach is the same. All collectively are divided into four groups. G1 - includes category 1 collectors (choir, dance collective, blowing orchestra). G2 provides category 2 collections (vocals, folklore pools, folklore clusters, ethnographic ensembles, amateur theatres/dramatic pools, People's applied art studios. Group IG/G3 includes category 3 collective or interest groups (dance collectors/dance sets, amateur/dramatic groups, vocal/instrumental ensembles, People's music collective, interest groups). Group IG/G4 category 4 (interest groups, dance groups/dance groups, dramatic pools, vocal/instrumental ensembles, People's music collective. The new arrangements will certainly be clearer for the collective leaders themselves. The higher the work is invested and the higher achievements, the higher the remuneration of the manager. At the same time, local Community activities based on groups OF interest groups G3 and G4 are maintained.

There is currently an active work on the workload and the application of the remuneration of the leaders of the cultural house. The working group, both individually and within associations, is looking for the most appropriate work model of the organisers of cultural events. However, it is now clear that the remuneration of organisers of cultural events will increase, about one third.

Nautrēnu association experience

Nautrēnu has been working on a new model of cultural work since February 2022, when all the cultural employees of the association work together as a single team in organising activities. A sound operator was also associated, which, if necessary, operates in all parishes of the association. The visual identity was also considered to be common not only in the design of the measures but also in the social network.

President OF the Committee on Education, Culture and Sport Guntis Rasims on the change: “thank you very much for every cultural worker who makes up our parish life in a more diverse and colourless way. Who cultivate our ancestral and parish traditions and do not seldom spend their time in holidays and holidays so that the rest of the parish has more cultural and recreational opportunities. This work must also be appropriately assessed. The establishment of cultural and tourism administration will certainly facilitate the work of organisers of cultural events and raise the level of quality of activities in our municipality. Meet at events in the near future! '

Prepared by: July Jurane, Public relations specialist of the municipality of Rezekne