The Freising City Council continues to meet in the form of face-to-face meetings.
They wanted to change that.
But in doing so, you stumbled upon yourself.
That was what you call a classic knee shot: Although almost all of the city councils of Freising in times like these wanted you to be able to participate in meetings as a representative of the people in hybrid form - i.e. from your PC, laptop or smartphone - you are on Thursday Victim of the rules of procedure and the tricky situation: There will be no hybrid meetings in Freising. And this is how it happened: The FDP had requested that meetings be held in hybrid format. On April 19, the Finance Committee gave this motion the green light to the extent that at least city council meetings - i.e. no committees - may be held in hybrid form. This stipulated for the city council on Thursday which proposed resolution was to be voted on first - namely the recommendation decision of the finance committee.But FDP city councilor Jens Barschdorf added on Thursday and submitted an amendment.
And already you had the salad ...
Content: City councils should also be able to participate virtually in committees if the worst comes to the worst.
And then you had the salad.
If one were to agree to the recommendation resolution of the finance committee, one would lose the chance of being able to hold hybrid committees as well.
But if you were to reject the recommendation decision of the Finance Committee in the hope that Barschdorf's proposed amendment would then receive the necessary two-thirds majority, but that would not happen, you would be left with nothing - even though the screen in the Luitpoldhalle has already been set up and even the distribution of the five cameras had already been tried out.
Two votes, two rejection
And because opinions on the approval of hybrid meetings fluctuated between unreserved approval with reference to the city council's sense of responsibility on the one hand and consequent refusal with reference to the honor of being allowed to sit on this body on the other, it was clear that one was in maneuvered a tricky situation. The solution: a five-minute break, during which the city councils exchanged views in order to assess the situation. After five minutes, Mayor Tobias Eschenbacher called the city councils back to their places and emphasized that a two-thirds majority was needed to enable one of the two variants for hybrid meetings - on Thursday 24 yes-votes of the 36 city councilors present. The first vote:The recommendation decision of the finance committee (i.e. hybrid meetings only for the city council) was rejected with 4:32 votes. The second vote: Barschdorf's proposal (i.e. hybrid meetings also for the committees) was rejected by 17:21 votes.
Then no hybrid sessions
The end of the story: In Corona times and in an era in which you fly to Mars, there will be no hybrid meetings in Freising.
So there will be no situation like the one Robert Weller (FW) described in flowery words: A city councilor sits in the sun on the beach in Greece for four months, connects from there via smartphone and then also collects attendance fees.
What a pity.
Also read: City hall modernization: First the toilet facilities are on, then the elevator follows
By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our new, regular Freising newsletter.