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Who feeds the "communal family"?

2021-12-22T15:54:57.399Z


Who feeds the "communal family"? Created: 12/22/2021, 4:42 PM From: Susanne Greiner Peaceful atmosphere thanks to an almost unanimous budget decision and lights of peace by the boy scouts at the last district council meeting in the community center in Denklingen. © Greiner District - The 2022 budget has been resolved to return the district levy to 51 percent. "It's the calm before the storm,"


Who feeds the "communal family"?

Created: 12/22/2021, 4:42 PM

From: Susanne Greiner

Peaceful atmosphere thanks to an almost unanimous budget decision and lights of peace by the boy scouts at the last district council meeting in the community center in Denklingen.

© Greiner

District - The 2022 budget has been resolved to return the district levy to 51 percent. "It's the calm before the storm," warned District Administrator Thomas Eichinger (CSU) at the last meeting of the district council in 2021, accompanied as usual by the lights of peace from the boy scouts. On the one hand, the word "storm" referred to the current corona situation, which Eichinger is "pessimistic" about due to two first suspected Omikron cases in the district. But Eichinger also sees the upcoming investments, especially from 2024, as a "storm". Which is why district treasurer Thomas Markthaler 'threatened' to raise the surcharge in the coming years. A black cloud, which most district councilors counter in their budget speeches with a non-casual, but certain “look again”.

Eichinger sees the “high phase of investments” starting in 2024, when the construction work at the Ammersee-Gymnasium, the Landsberg vocational schools or at the IKG and DZG start. In addition, there is the expansion of the clinic and the construction of the district office branch on Penzinger Feld. For 2022, however, he is optimistic with the 'low' district levy, especially since the performance of the municipalities is “probably better than feared”. One still has to be careful with new plans.


In view of the price development in the construction industry, it can be assumed that the planned sums for the construction measures will increase. This has already happened with the construction of the district office branch office: originally 45 million euros were planned, but 80 million euros have now been included in the financial planning. An increase that Peter Friedl (Greens) didn't just want to accept. He wanted to know how these costs had been determined. And how a further increase in costs can be prevented. He sees potential in reducing the number of rooms, since fewer workplaces are required due to digitization and more home office use.


Head of the Building Department, Christian Kusch, pointed out that construction will only start in two years.

Nevertheless, the current planning is realistic, "to keep the costs artificially low would be nonsensical".

Overall, however, according to Eichinger, it is important that another project such as the school renovation is not jeopardized.

The 80 million are only "a long pole in the fog".

You only get concrete figures in the concrete planning.

"I'm relaxed about it," said Eichinger.

"We can afford it."

Household speeches


• Wilhelm Böhm (CSU) praised the district's “solid budget policy”. After all, the debt level was reduced from over 60 million to currently around 40 million euros and at the same time reserves were built up. The fact that the assessment rate for the district levy of 51 points has already been unanimously recommended in the district committee is probably unique - and possible thanks to the district motto "Save time, then you have an emergency". Nevertheless, the surcharge will have to be increased in the future. Invest over 200 million euros in construction projects in the city of Landsberg alone - renovation of the vocational schools and the DZG, the hospital expansion and the new district office building. In addition, there is the Ammerseegymnasium and the Theresienbad senior citizen accommodation in Greifenberg, which will increase the debt to over 100 million euros in 2025.An increase in the levy is also necessary, as the district levy will also rise. “But the municipalities are able to handle it.” You have to act as a local family. The CSU parliamentary group welcomes the amount of the district levy and approves the budget. Thank you to all 'cooperation partners', including the SPD. The latter had tipped the scales in the circle allocation discussion (the KREISBOTE reported).


• Renate Standfest (Greens) had a kind of déjà-vu: You see yourself in the second year under corona conditions in the last district council meeting and have again been presented with a household that is “peppered” with projects, “which our administration has experience in the coming year cannot cope. ”At the same time, project costs, for example for building branch offices, rose rapidly. For example, 80 million were set for the office building, but they missed planning funds for joining the MVV and expanding public transport. There are no calculations for other projects that have already been decided, for example the expansion of the clinic. The fact that these are difficult to plan is not an 'excuse': the costs for the construction at Penzinger Feld are obviously difficult to plan.Steadfast also criticized the high liquid funds, for which penalty interest would be due, whether tied or not - around 250,000 euros in the coming year. With the originally planned district levy of 53 percent, the municipalities would have been asked to pay too much. An overload that the other parliamentary groups, "even parts of the CSU", did not want to support. Thank you to all the parliamentary groups for the fact that the rate of assessment remains the same and that the district committee decided unanimously. If this cooperation continues in such a constructive manner, the "threatening scenario" of coming financial difficulties painted by Eichinger will not have to arise. A prioritization and capping of the projects help here.With the originally planned district levy of 53 percent, the municipalities would have been asked to pay too much. An overload that the other parliamentary groups, "even parts of the CSU", did not want to support. Thank you to all the parliamentary groups for the fact that the rate of assessment remains the same and that the district committee decided unanimously. If this cooperation continues in such a constructive manner, the "threatening scenario" of coming financial difficulties painted by Eichinger will not have to arise. A prioritization and capping of the projects help here.With the originally planned district levy of 53 percent, the municipalities would have been asked to pay too much. An overload that the other parliamentary groups, "even parts of the CSU", did not want to support. Thank you to all the parliamentary groups for the fact that the rate of assessment remains the same and that the district committee decided unanimously. If this cooperation continues in such a constructive manner, the "threatening scenario" of coming financial difficulties painted by Eichinger will not have to arise. Prioritizing and capping the projects help here.for that she thank all the political groups. If this cooperation continues in such a constructive manner, the "threatening scenario" of coming financial difficulties painted by Eichinger will not have to arise. Prioritizing and capping the projects help here.for that she thank all the political groups. If this cooperation continues in such a constructive manner, the "threatening scenario" of coming financial difficulties painted by Eichinger will not have to arise. A prioritization and capping of the projects help here.


• Free voters: The planned construction measures are good, summarized Herbert Kirsch - even if details of the St. Alban campsite project still have to be discussed.

He does not know whether the district levy will increase again in 2023, as Böhm warned, "that has to be discussed soberly".

In the past, debts have often been set much higher than they ultimately turned out to be.

In 2017, 74 million euros were in the room for 2020, but in the end it was "only" 42 million.

He would like the treasurer to present the numbers “more realistically” - even if it is of course “healthy self-protection” to plan with a buffer.

In conclusion, Kirsch praised the “reasonable cooperation” in the district council.


A maximum of 50 percent


• The SPD also welcomes the retention of the assessment rate of 51 percent, emphasized Thomas Salzberger. This is the only way for the “communal family” to function with a fair distribution of the burden on everyone - which is why the aim should actually be a maximum of 50 points. Nevertheless, the parliamentary group expressly acknowledges the "absolutely necessary" projects. But you have to be careful to use the funds on time, because "a future increase in the district levy is by no means agreed". He sees potential for savings in voluntary services, "we have already talked about it," he emphasized, probably with a view to the construction of the district office branch.


• The ÖDP welcomes the failure to increase the levy, began Robert Sedlmayr. The debt increases are viewed with great concern - which is why the ÖDP will not agree to the financial planning. He sees this debt increase even further over the next few years. "But what if interest rates rise again?"


• Christoph Jell (UBV) thanked the District Office for their work in the second year of the Corona, “which, by and large, went well. Let's hope that we learn to live with Covid. ”The planned projects are important milestones for education and health. However, financing solely through an increase in contributions and debts is not expedient. Although the allocation power of the district and the municipalities has increased, this will not reflect the necessary investments. Jell saw a reduction in expenditure in the establishment plan, as vacancies should not be included in the budget. In addition, one has to “say no more and more, especially when it comes to voluntary benefits”.


• According to his own words, Tobias Linke (Bayernpartei) gave a moral appeal rather than a budget speech.

As long as you know what you are spending money on, he approves of the planned projects.

However, he sees 'roof structures' such as a climate agency or the agency for local development policy (the KREISBOTE reported) as representative shells that only cost money.

Climate investments should flow into specific projects, as well as funds for development aid.

"Otherwise the money will seep into administrative structures." With regard to the Intel settlement, one should reconsider whether the global player and the associated rapid growth fit into the structure of the district.


The budget planning for 2022 was adopted with one vote against.

There were seven dissenting votes in financial planning, including from the ÖDP members.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-12-22

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