The charge for the management of the residential blocks administered by the municipal enterprises (MEs) could be raised. The Chisinau authorities are considering several options, with the final decision to be submitted to the City Council for approval at one of its next sittings. The Council is to choose between 0.97 lei, 1.5 lei and 3.3 lei per inhabited m3, compared to 0.19 lei as charged at present. The latter was established back in 1997 and is considered by the authorities to be too low to keep the residential blocks clean and in good condition. By raising the rates, the local authorities hope to give the persons responsible for maintaining the blocks a better salary. At present, because of salaries of about 500-600 lei, the number of the personnel in the field is 300 out of the needed 2,500. MEs are responsible for managing some 70 percent of the residential blocks in the city.