The State Audit Office says that the management of associations belonging to the city of Narva is poor. The reason is that power changes frequently. Every time power changes, the councils of the associations are replaced. This means that people do not have time to get used to things.
The councils mainly consist of members of the city council. When power changes, new people get positions. They need time to learn things. But before they learn, power may change again. Therefore, they do not know enough about the situation of the associations.
State Auditor Janar Holm says that for Narva associations, it is important who is in the council. The work and objectives of the associations remain secondary.
The city of Narva influences seven associations. Their councils have 3–7 members. In 2011, a law was passed stating that the municipality must create rules for associations. However, in Narva, these rules have not been made in 14 years.
The State Audit Office notes that decisions are made quickly. For example, one coalition replaced the councils of six associations before its collapse. This happened in just one week.
Since the 2021 elections, there have already been six different coalitions in Narva. In most associations, the council has changed 4–5 times.
For example, in one association, SA Narva Linnaelamu, the council has changed five times. After the last elections, 29 out of 31 members have been in the council. Some council members have been on the councils of four different associations.
The State Audit Office finds that council members have difficulty understanding their role. They often do the work of the board. However, the council should oversee the board and set the strategy.
The State Audit Office also says that the city of Narva has not changed its control over associations since the 2019 corruption case. At that time, there was a problem with procurements. However, the city does not currently pay more attention to corruption.
The city council's audit committee has only checked two out of seven associations. The State Audit Office believes this is too little, especially after the corruption case.
Members of the audit committee may also be on the councils of associations. This is not prohibited, but it can cause problems. For example, one audit committee member was on the councils of two associations. In one of them, he was the chairman of the council.
The State Audit Office recommends that the city of Narva establish clear rules for associations. The city should also clearly define the objectives of the associations. The Narva city government has agreed to the recommendations.