As of: January 19, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Markus Schwarzkugler
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The municipal children's home in Wartenberg.
© Klaus Kuhn
It's still a hefty increase for the parents in Wartenberg, but the daycare fees will be raised by ten percent this year and in the two following years - the key month is always September, when the new daycare year starts - and therefore not as much as initially considered.
In 2026 the sibling discount will be completely eliminated.
Wartenberg - The anger of some councilors was also directed towards Ulrike Scharf's Ministry of Social Affairs in the salty debate in front of numerous listeners on Wednesday in the Trachtenstadl.
They want to send a letter there soon.
When it comes to coping with the additional costs, those in Wartenberg (and not only those) feel let down by the state government.
The fees had already been a hot topic in the committees on several occasions.
The last plan was to increase it twice by 17 percent each time in the three years and then again by eight percent.
So now it will be “only” ten percent.
The sibling discount (20 percent for each child) will be retained in September this year, will only apply from the third child in 2025 and will finally be eliminated completely in 2026.
In the meantime there were further discussions, which Mayor Christian Pröbst (CSU) reported on.
He exchanged ideas with a few larger employers.
The largest, which he did not mention by name but which was the clinic, said: If the fees increase exorbitantly, employees would increasingly stay at home to look after their children, meaning they would be available to work fewer hours.
The parents’ council was also brought on board.
Kerstin Podlinski from the parish children's house was given the right to speak on their behalf.
Tenor: The increase is still a burden, but we will go along with the more moderate solution.
Pröbst thanked the advisory board – “they were tough conversations.”
Pröbst criticized the fact that the government had increased the basic value by five percent when it came to financial support for the municipalities, but wages had risen by ten percent.
And then there are the ever-present cost explosions.
“The stupidest person can calculate that this doesn’t fit,” said Pröbst.
Martina Scheyhing (Greens) was pleased with the compromise.
She and her SPD colleague Michael Paulini said that the budget gap cannot be filled through higher daycare fees alone.
She thought it would be appropriate for parents to protest to the government.
“The state government would have the money,” she said, considering that “money was being thrown into the sky” for Söder’s space plans.
Markus Straßberger (CSU) was satisfied, even if he would have been in favor of maintaining the sibling discount.
With two to three children in one facility, things can “be really difficult” for some parents.
Heike Kronseder described the compromise proposal on behalf of her FWG group as “very good”.
This had not been sent to the councils in advance, as Paulini noted.
He had calculated that including the 23 percent increase that had already taken place in the previous year and the planned three 17 percent increases for 2024 to 2026, with compound interest there would have been a whopping plus of 82 percent within four years.
Paulini said he would only have increased 10 percent in 2024 and 2025.
Wartenberg is in the lower midfield in terms of tax capacity in the district.
People wouldn't earn enough to be able to keep up.
The comrade suggested simply sending an invoice with all the (additional) costs to the Ministry of Social Affairs.
“I’ll write that down straight away,” said Pröbst about this suggestion.
Josef Sedlmaier (CSU) and Kronseder, among others, emphasized that the municipalities were being left alone.
“They’re making themselves look thin,” Paulini also complained.
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Since the increase mentioned above on September 1, 2023, parents in Wartenberg have been paying 278 euros in the crèche for a booking time of four to five hours, for example, and 146 euros in the kindergarten for the same length of care.
As is well known, a flat rate of 100 euros will be covered by the Free State.
Next September it will be ten percent more.
The council decision was passed with a vote of 16:3.
For many parents, there are of course additional costs for lunch if their children use this service at daycare.