The Geretsried city council expects lower income due to Corona.
At the same time, there are still high investments to be made.
Now a working group has to work.
Geretsried - Extension of the middle school, a community center in Stein and many other building measures: In the next four years Geretsried has made investments of 38.3 million euros.
However, the finance department is expecting around two million euros less trade tax income than last year because of the corona pandemic.
In order to ensure the “long-term efficiency” of the municipality, the Geretsried city council set up a working group for budget consolidation (see box).
Working group on budget consolidation
A new working group (AK) of the city council is to deal in detail with the budget situation in the future.
Responsible for this is Thomas Schmid, who recently became head of the cost performance accounting / controlling department.
He discussed the situation at the meeting.
"The city is growing and there is a lot of investment to be made," said Schmid.
Then there is the corona pandemic, which will lead to an imbalance in the household with a delay.
According to a survey by the KfW development bank, 71 percent of companies would expect lower income.
That leads to less business tax.
It needs a change of course.
With consolidation measures, one can make the local authority permanently efficient.
To approach this strategically, representatives of the city council groups should report to the AK and transparently in meetings.
Dr.
Elmar Immertreu (Geretsried list) doubted whether the AK is necessary.
"We have the main and finance committee," he said.
In addition, every city council would have to deal with the budget.
But he was convinced by his colleagues.
"The AK will not take anything away from us city councilors, but will work on a lot of things that we have not thought about before," said Heiko Hawla (Free Voters).
He won't decide anything on his own.
Gerhard Meinl (CSU) also emphasized that the work of the AK would later be poured into the budget.
He warned that the AK must be discussed without resentment.
That takes bravery and courage.
“I hope that the parliamentary groups will occupy them skillfully,” said Meinl.
The AK was founded with 23: 8 votes.
The CSU, Free Voters, Immertreu and Peter Curtius, Beate Paulerberg and Volker Witte (Greens) voted for this.
Müller: The current year will be "eventful and exciting" in many ways
Mayor Michael Müller (CSU) had already announced this in the first two preliminary discussions of the budget in the Main and Finance Committee (HFA) (we reported).
It is now a done deal, as is the 2021 budget. Unlike in previous years, the result of the vote on the latter was not unanimous with 23: 8 votes.
The members of the Geretsried list, Martina Raschke and Dr.
Detlev Ringer (Greens) and Hans Hopfner, Wolfgang Werner and Arthur Wolfseher (SPD) refused to approve the figures.
The current year will be "eventful and exciting" in many ways, announced Müller.
One example he cited was the opening of the intermunicipal indoor swimming pool at the end of May and beginning of June.
He is pleased to be able to present the budget for this year in this way.
With him “we live up to our responsibility as mandate holders”.
Within the financial planning period up to 2024, however, a deficit "that we cannot leave as it is," emphasized the town hall chief.
In the preliminary consultations in the HFA “no useful savings proposals came up, apart from making debts,” said Müller.
You have to think about how to deal with the voluntary services, investment projects and compulsory tasks.
"We have to clear out the budget in order to have the necessary leeway for what we want to afford."
City comes into negative territory
This deficit was illustrated by Nadine Zikeli, who heads the finance department at the town hall.
This year, the budget is expected to close with a minus of 5.7 million euros.
In the financial budget, there is a financial shortfall of 12.6 million euros.
The liquid funds will therefore be reduced by this amount to 15.2 million euros by the end of the year and will be used up next year.
"If everything is implemented according to plan, we will be in negative territory in 2023 and 2024," said Zikeli.
The city will therefore receive a blue letter from the district office, announced third mayor Gerhard Meinl (CSU).
It is important to get the Consolidation Working Group on the way straight away in order to show that “the boy is becoming good again”.
The working group is not about saving, but about tackling the issue structurally and setting new goals.
The city council did it well not to have postponed something right away.
Meinl also praised that the city would not incur any new debts in 2021.
"That would be crazy with over 25 million euros in liquidity."
S-Bahn: "Have to send a signal that we are ready"
With a view to the extension of the S7 route from Wolfratshausen to Geretsried, Meinl emphasized: “We have to send a signal that we are ready.” In addition, the city has promised trade taxpayers to spend the money from the latest increase on infrastructure measures.
The city council alluded to the discussion in the HFA about a budget item that provides 5 million euros for land purchases.
No one from the ranks of the Free Voters commented on the draft.
The parliamentary group voted unanimously in favor.
Their new parliamentary group leader, Peter Curtius, spoke for the Greens.
He is happy with the budget.
“What we do in schools and day care centers is impressive.
The environment is not neglected either, ”he said.
Not all city councils support Budget 2021
Curtius did not discuss why there was disagreement within his group on the budget.
As reported, the dispute over the basic working methods at the Greens led to a vote in January, in which Curtius and Beate Paulerberg replaced the parliamentary group leaders Raschke and Ringer.
Raschke then resigned from the party, but remained a member of the parliamentary group.
Hans Hopfner (SPD) described the budget in 2021 as "not very exciting" on several occasions.
The first template has not changed much.
"We barely discussed in the HFA because there were hardly any starting points," criticized the group leader.
And if there is the AK budget consolidation, "it looks like we will not discuss any more".
The Geretsried list also rejected the draft budget.
“Unfortunately, our suggestions were not included,” said Volker Reeh.
The parliamentary group also had questions that could not be answered - about the business plan of the municipal utilities, the establishment plan and outstanding payments for the new intermunicipal indoor swimming pool.
Budget 2021: the most important figures
Income
Trade tax: expected to be 16.5 million euros
Income tax: expected to be 15.9 million euros
expenditure
District levy: expected to be 17.6 million euros
Personnel and supplies: 10.8 million euros
Subsidies for childcare operating costs: EUR 10 million
Trade tax apportionment: 1.5 million euros
Sponsoring association for youth and social work: 480,000 euros
Music school: 430,000 euros
Loans
New debt: 0 euros
Loan repayment: 1.9 million euros
Loans as of December 31, 2021: 11 million euros
Liquid funds
as of December 31, 2020: 27.8 million euros
as of December 31, 2021: 15.2 million euros
Payments for construction work in 2021 (extract)
Extension of the Stifter Middle School: 250,000 euros
City hall attic extension: 200,000 euros
Parking deck at the indoor swimming pool: 550,000 euros
Buildings for lunchtime care at the primary schools: 750,000 euros
Town house in Stein: 200,000 euros
Restoration of Karl-Lederer-Platz: 350,000 euros
Restoration of Egerlandstrasse: 200,000 euros
Road construction: 590,000 euros
Investments in the planning period up to 2024: 38.3 million euros
Higher subsidies for clubs?
Sports advisor Wolfgang Werner (SPD) fell through with a motion that he introduced into the budget debate.
He wanted to ensure that clubs get more financial support from the city in view of the corona pandemic.
According to the youth promotion guidelines, clubs can receive a grant of 15 euros per member who is under 18 years of age.
Werner suggested increasing this amount once this year to 20 euros.
"The pandemic also hits clubs hard economically," argued the sports officer.
The city would have to reckon with costs of 45,000 euros instead of 36,000 euros as a result of the increase.
In return, however, you save 12,000 euros, which were set for the athlete ceremony in 2021.
"I spoke to the clubs that there would be no athletes' honor this year," said Werner.
Since games and sports are currently on hold, an honor makes no sense.
In addition to Werner's group colleagues, Martina Raschke and Dr.
Detlev Ringer (Greens) and the members of the Geretsried list submitted the application.
Their group leader Patrik Kohlert said: “I welcome the whole thing.
Certainly not all, but the majority of the clubs, have less income. "
However, the majority of the city council voted against.
“The youth is close to my heart, but unfortunately I can't understand the logic,” said Sonja Frank (Free Voters).
Many clubs are currently spending less than usual.
And it is questionable whether money is the right way to go.
In view of the established working group for budget consolidation, it should be worked out as a whole whether more funds are possible for youth development.
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