Puconci council adopts rules for co-financing sports infrastructure investment

The Občinski svet Občine Puconci has adopted a new rulebook governing municipal co-financing of investment in sports infrastructure, clearing the way for a public call for applications. The Pravilnik o sofinanciranju investicijskih vlaganj v športno infrastrukturo v Občini Puconci was approved at the council’s 33rd regular session on 10 September 2026 and published in the Uradni list Republike Slovenije no. 1430/2026 of 16 September 2026. It enters into force on the fifteenth day after publication, under file reference Št. 671-0035/2026 and EDA 2026-5883237000-0017.

The rulebook is issued under the Zakon o športu (Uradni list RS, no. 29/17 with subsequent amendments, including 10/26), the Zakon o lokalni samoupravi and article 17 of the Statut Občine Puconci (Uradni list RS, no. 91/15 and 128/21). It is signed by the mayor of Občina Puconci, Uroš Kamenšek.

Structured in five chapters and 14 articles, the text is the substantive legal basis for a public call or public invitation through which the municipality sets conditions, criteria and procedure in advance, in line with the principles of legality, economy, efficiency and transparency in the use of public funds. Money comes from a budget line for co-financing the construction of sports and accompanying facilities; the amount available is fixed by the annual budget decree and specified in the call. Investments in sports infrastructure form part of the annual sports programme adopted by the council, which defines priority areas and an indicative volume of funds.

Who may apply and what is eligible

Applicants must be non-profit legal entities with their seat or activity in the municipality. Sports clubs and associations of sports clubs must be entered in the register or record prescribed by sports regulations.

They must also own or co-own the property where the investment takes place, or hold another adequate legal basis such as a building right, a long-term lease or the owner’s consent; have secured the financial construction of the investment; have settled all due obligations to the municipality; and not be in compulsory settlement, bankruptcy or liquidation.

Eligible investments are:

• construction, reconstruction, adaptation, extension or addition of sports facilities and outdoor sports areas;
• investment maintenance and renovation of existing sports infrastructure;
• purchase of equipment permanently installed or forming an integral part of the investment.

Eligible costs cover construction, craft and installation works, equipment, project documentation and professional supervision. Excluded are running maintenance and operating costs such as energy and utility services, land purchase, costs already co-financed for the same purpose from other public sources, and VAT where the applicant is entitled to deduct it.

Procedure, criteria and appeals

The call is published by the mayor on the municipality’s website and in its official gazette, and must state the subject, the funds available, eligible applicants, purposes and costs, conditions, evaluation criteria, the content of applications, the deadline and manner of submission, the date of notification of results and where documentation may be collected.

A commission appointed by the mayor opens and examines applications, checks completeness and eligibility, scores them and prepares a proposal of beneficiaries in a record. Applicants with incomplete files are invited in writing to supplement within eight days; files not completed in time are rejected by decision, as are those that fail the conditions. A decision on selection or rejection is issued by the competent municipal administration body, with an appeal decided by the mayor.

Criteria may include the importance of the investment for developing sports infrastructure and its alignment with municipal development documents, the number of users and accessibility to the wider public, the share of own and other funding, the readiness of the investment, and its economy and rationality. If available funds are insufficient, allocation follows the rule set in the call — order of receipt of complete applications, proportionality to recognised eligible costs, or points scored. No beneficiary may receive more than requested or more than the maximum permitted co-financing share.

Supervision and repayment

The competent municipal administration body monitors the earmarked use of funds and may at any time demand evidence of use and access to documentation on the investment. Funds are paid against a claim accompanied by proof of incurred and paid eligible costs.

If money is used for other purposes, contractual obligations are not met, false data were given, or the investment is not carried out as agreed, the beneficiary must repay the funds with statutory default interest from the day of payment to the day of repayment. It also loses the right to take part in the municipality’s next call for co-financing sports infrastructure investment for a period set in the call, but no longer than three years.

For sports clubs and associations in Občina Puconci, the rulebook turns a budget line into an actionable funding route: the decisive next step is the mayor’s public call, which will fix the money on the table, the maximum co-financing share and the application deadline.

Source: Uradni list Republike Slovenije, no. 1430/2026, 16 September 2026, section I (official reference: EDA 2026-5883237000-0017).