All of Ungheni’s municipal bonds — 10,000 securities at 1,000 lei each — were fully subscribed within days of the public offering opening on August 10. The funds are now available, and on August 26, a working group of municipal councilors from all factions decided where they will go: 5 streets, with a total length of 2.5 kilometers and a surface area of 23,000 square meters.
The procurement for the repair works was published the same day on MTender, and bids can be submitted starting September 1.
The 5 streets and what each costs
The City Hall’s post names the 5 streets. The procurement documents on MTender also show the estimated value per lot:
- Strada Națională, the B.P. Hașdeu – Romană segment — 3,050,000 lei (the largest lot)
- Strada C. Stamati, in the Berești neighborhood — 2,610,000 lei
- Strada M. Eminescu, N. Bălcescu, Livezilor (near the Palace of Culture) and Solidarității (from SRL “Apă-Canal Ungheni” past the railway crossing) — 2,550,000 lei (a single lot)
- Strada Bălțeni, up to the intersection with Strada Stamati — 1,400,000 lei
Total: 9,610,000 lei out of the 10 million raised through bonds. All four lots cover asphalt concrete repairs.
The Municipal Council’s May decision published only the total ceiling of 10 million lei, not the cost per street. With the procurement, the estimated cost per lot is now public.
What changed from the May list
The Municipal Council’s decision from May 15 (no. 4/25) approved a list of 14 objects — streets and road segments — on which the 10 million could be spent. The same decision provides for “the updating and adjustment of the list of road sections, based on technical findings, with subsequent notification of the Ungheni Municipal Council.” Of the 5 streets selected now, Bălțeni and Solidarității were not on the original May list.
Not all 14 objects in the decision were waiting for bond money. In the meantime, the City Hall repaired several segments from the local budget: the streets Arcașii lui Ștefan and Suceava in Ungheni Vale, a segment of Burebista between Petru Rareș and Zamfir Arbore in Dănuțeni, Mihai Viteazul street in Berești, the Dănuțeni terminus station, and the area near the Palace of Culture. In parallel, work is underway on Decebal, Burebista, and Ion Neculce streets using government funding.
The bonds: fully subscribed
The public bond offering opened on August 10, with three classes of securities — maturing in 2, 3, and 4 years — and interest rates of 9.5%, 10%, and one floating rate. The entry threshold was 5,000 lei, and for the first two days the offering was reserved for individuals. The subscription was intermediated by Victoriabank.
According to the City Hall, all 10,000 securities were subscribed “in just a few days.” This is not an unusual precedent: the first municipal bond issues in Moldova, in 2021, by Sîngera and Ceadîr-Lunga, were also fully subscribed in short periods.
What comes next
The public procurement working group, led by Mayor Vitalie Vrabie and Deputy Mayor Nicolae Cevaga, unanimously approved the 5 streets and their structuring into 4 lots. The participation notice, technical specifications for each lot, and standard documentation are already published on MTender.
I want people to trust what we do and decide. We choose transparency in our actions and planning that is as strategic and efficient as possible. Vitalie Vrabie, Mayor of the Municipality of Ungheni
The City Hall announces it is preparing repair projects for additional streets, without specifying which ones.