[1] As of January 2024, there are only rural and settlement starosta okruhs in Ukraine, but in the Lviv urban hromada, it is planned to form Vynnyky and Dubliany urban starosta okruhs, the administrative centers of which will have the status of cities.
In order for the interests of residents of all villages, towns and cities in united territorial hromadas to be properly represented, the law "On Voluntary Unification of Territorial Hromadas" adopted on February 5, 2015, introduced the institute of starosta, who were to be elected by residents of the respective settlements and represent their interests in the executive bodies of the council of the amalgamated territorial hromada.
[4][5] The mayor, in particular, is a member of the executive committee of the amalgamated territorial hromada council ex officio, he must help the residents of his settlements with the preparation of submitting documents to local self-government bodies, participate in the preparation of the amalgamated territorial hromada budget in the part that concerns his settlements, and also perform other duties specified in Regulations on the starosta, which were approved by the council of the amalgamated territorial hromada.
Also, this law introduced the concept of starosta okruhs (elderships) ― the territory on which the starost is elected and over which his powers extend.
[9][10][11] It was also fixed for the starostas the right to a guaranteed speech at the meetings of the amalgamated territorial hromada council and its standing commissions on issues related to their starosta okruh, as well as added control functions over the use of communal property objects and the state of improvement in their okruh.