After getting the council’s approval last week to divide my land into 250 plots, things have been quite strange. The council still seems keen on having a say in our plans. However, when I visited the national cadaster’s office, they informed me that this particular council has no authority over what I can build there.

Essentially, the council’s approval doesn’t hold any actual power over our works. Despite the effort it took to obtain the letter, the cadaster’s office dismissed its significance, pointing out that there isn’t a decree for the village requiring permissions for private land use. This lack of regulation has led to various abuses, such as the sale of lakefront areas by corrupt officials to private owners instead of preserving them for public use.

The council’s fear seems to be that once the land is split, new plot owners might demand utilities like electricity and water, creating significant costs for the council. Although they pretend to have control, they really can’t stop us. We informed them of our intentions at the end of April, but all we hear back are rumors. Allegedly, the mayor and his counselors have been meeting almost weekly about us, yet we’ve received no official record of their discussions. When I sought a meeting with the mayor through his secretary (who happens to be my old handyman’s sister), I suspect the message never got relayed.

The director of public works, whom I approached for the approval letter, suggested we provide an environmental study for the council, costing us $3,000. Even he admitted that the mayor would not read it, merely filing it away to cover their bases.

When I mentioned we could dig a well ourselves (estimated cost $50,000) and give it to the council for free, the director was excited about the idea since it would benefit a third of the village, which currently has limited water access. However, he later came back with additional fees and technical requirements. He also opposed our plan for an underground water tank, opting instead for a large water tower, completely disregarding his previous environmental concerns.

It seems he didn’t grasp that we’re under no legal obligation to provide a well. We could easily delay until the buyers pressure the mayor for a well. For now, we’re opting to wait, considering other options like buying water from a friendly neighbor with an elevated tank or collecting rainwater.

The council’s handling of the football field we offered for free in exchange for maintenance has been similarly frustrating. Rumor has it that one counselor, who previously sold the public beach illicitly, is trying to profit by selling his land back to the council for a football field at an inflated price. Our workers, excited about building the field, have conveyed to the mayor that maintaining a field here or there would cost the same, minus the land purchase since ours is free.

Our architect was supposed to provide individual maps for $3,000, but the cadaster only accepts maps from their trained personnel. After negotiating reduced work to 100 plots, the architect raised his rate by another $750. We agreed with a condition that any errors would be his responsibility. Offended by this, he quit. We quickly found another person willing to do the job for the same rate under the same conditions, and he starts this week.

At home, everything is mostly fine, except the new handyman’s girlfriend, who burnt her foot while cleaning and claims she can’t work, although we’ve seen her walking around the village. BF thinks I overworked her, but I never wanted a maid in the first place, so it’s not a substantial loss.

Our animals are slowly recovering from a month without food while we were away, though still experiencing high mortality rates. I’m following advice from village women, learning to keep chicks indoors for the first two weeks to prevent leg infections from the mud. We need to build a nursery for them.

Curiously, despite making 12 nests for the birds, they all cram into one nest.

How are things going in your neck of the woods?