Ogre Municipality Council Debates Renaming of Kancersili and Reorganization of Municipal Enterprises
The Ogre Municipality council discussed renaming the village Kancersili to Muižkalni due to negative associations with cancer, and a reorganization plan for municipal companies to improve efficiency.
At a recent meeting, the Ogre Municipality council addressed two key issues: renaming a village and restructuring municipal enterprises.
Name Change
The debate centered on changing the name of the village Kancersili in Tīnūži Parish to Muižkalni. The village was established in 2005. In April, the municipality received a proposal from SIA "Stila aģentūra", which owns most of the land, arguing that the current name evokes the word "cancer" (in Latin and English) and discourages potential buyers. The State Language Center approved the new name, and 98% of landowners agree. The developer is already marketing plots as Muižkalni.
Council members were divided. Uldis Skudra opposed, noting that the developer conducted the survey himself and the local residents' council does not support the change. He questioned whether the name "Ogre" (meaning monster in English) should also be changed. Kārlis Avotiņš pointed to other unusual place names like Lielie Muļķi (Great Fools). Egils Helmanis argued pragmatically: the name has no historical value and changing it would allow ten new families to build homes. Gints Sīviņš added that attracting residents is more important than preserving a name that hinders development. Council chair Andris Krauja halted the discussion, saying it had drifted off topic. No final decision was made.
Reorganization
The second major topic was the reorganization of municipal companies. After the 2021 administrative-territorial reform, overlapping functions emerged. The goal is to create a clearer governance model: heating services would be centralized under SIA "MS siltums", water management under SIA "Ķeguma stars", and apartment building management under SIA "Ogres Namsaimnieks". Other functions like landscaping and municipal housing would remain under municipal agencies.
Currently, this is a progress report; the final decision is expected in August. The reorganization will be implemented gradually, with eight initial steps, and should be completed by spring next year. Krauja remarked that "the ship has set sail" – the process has begun.
