ANALYSIS OF THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF MUNICIPAL ENTERPRISES IN BLAGOEVGRAD WITH Z-SCORE MODEL

It is generally accepted that municipal property is a basic prerequisite for financial autonomy and administrative independence of local authorities. In Bulgaria, municipalities received ownership rights from the Constitution (1991) and this regulation was further confirmed by the Law on Local Self-Government and Local Administration (1991). In 1996 municipal property was finally settled with the adoption of the Law on Municipal Property and the Law on State Property. In the late 1990s local governments received significant amounts of assets from the central government. The process was accompanied by abuses of administrative authority, corruption scandals, and financial mismanagement. Two decades latter, Bulgarian municipalities have different types of assets, but the effectiveness of local financial management is still a topical issue. This paper aims to analyse and estimate the financial performance of nine enterprises owned by Blagoevgrad municipality with Z-Score model. The analyzed period covers the years from 2006 to 2020. The results indicate that municipal enterprises can achieve profitability while providing a wide range of services to the local community.