City councilors against financial planning – construction of town houses postponed

Created: 03/03/2022, 06:00

By: Victoria Gray

The attic conversion of the Geretsried town hall is one of the largest items in the payments for construction measures.

©Gray

Geretsried – Even without the consent of a third of the city council, the budget, which was previously discussed in the main and finance committee, was recently approved by 20 votes to ten.

Compulsory tasks such as kindergartens and schools simply have priority.

The Geretsrieder Stadtrad came to this conclusion in its most recent meeting.

To make matters worse, there was an “unexpected trade tax refund of 3.4 million euros”, as Mayor Michael Müller informed the city councillors.

"The downside is of course the community center," emphasized Müller.

As reported, the community center, whose construction was postponed to 2026, caused discussions in previous meetings.

The financial difficulties of the city would have become even more precarious with the construction.

In order to relieve the budget, the 6.1 million expensive project will now be postponed to the next financial planning.

The city invests more than it earns

The most important thing now is "maintaining the efficiency of the community," Müller explained.

Because Geretsried is one of the municipalities in the district where this is in question in the long term.

The income and expenditure of the double-headed budget diverge more and more.

The profit budget for 2022 shows a deficit of almost 3 million euros.

In addition, a deficit of 8.3 million euros is reported in the financial budget.

"These are fragile figures," explained administrative manager Helge Balbiani-Antony.

The city would invest more than it takes in.

Representatives of the Geretsrieder Liste, FDP, SPD and Greens were particularly unhappy with the statute, which does not take into account the construction of the community center.

"With all understanding, that's a slap in the face," said Kerstin Halba (SPD), who is also chairwoman of the youth and social work association.

Planning for the community center had already begun in 2008.

She fears that the community center will one day be like the S-Bahn expansion.

Patrick Kohlert from the Geretsrieder list also found clear words for his rejection of the statute: "This budget does not take some promises into account." He found it questionable why on the one hand a discussion about 30 individual items in the budget was rejected, on the other hand luxury projects such as infrastructure for tourism and art will be financed.

The expansion of the secondary school on Adalbert-Stifter-Strasse is expected to cost Geretsried EUR 400,000 and is one of the city's key obligatory tasks.

©Gray

While a third was against the statute, Heiko Hawla (FW) supported the planning: "We now have to postpone one or the other project, but as long as we can fulfill the mandatory tasks, we as the city administration have done our homework." His group colleague and Youth officer Felix Leipold: "As a former Steiner, I would of course wish for the community and youth center, but one place where the children really have to go is school."

City councilor Gerhard Meinl made it clear that the CSU also agrees to the statutes: “We are going fully into the liquidity reserves here.

It's not about an austerity budget.” Even if transparency is a word that shouldn't be used, Meinl believes that the plan was marked by it.

"The compulsory tasks are now simply more important," he defended the course.

The aim should at some point be a positive income statement and intergenerational equity again.

The household in figures

Liquidity Reserves

December 31, 2021: 23.6 million euros

December 31, 2025: around 6 million euros.

payouts

Center design: 2.9 million euros;

Ventilation systems for schools: 1.6 million euros;

Attic conversion town hall: 1.3 million euros;

Middle school extension: 400,000 euros;

Increase in midday care: 150,000 euros;

Day care center on Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Strasse: 300,000 euros.

Income and Grants

Trade tax: expected to be 16.8 million euros;

Income tax: expected to be 16.7 million euros;

Key grants from the state: 2.7 million euros.

expenditure

District levy: expected to be 15.4 million euros;

Day care centers for children: 10.2 million euros;

Personnel and supplies: 9.6 million;

Association for youth and social work: 432,000 euros;

Music school: 430,000 euros.