Strained finances in Geretsried - application for budget consolidation is rejected anyway

Created: 10/05/2022, 12:00 p.m

By: Susanne Weiss

The topic of money is currently driving many municipalities - including the city of Geretsried.

However, an application from the budget consolidation working group was rejected.

© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss

The city council rejects a proposal from the budget consolidation working group.

The group wanted more powers.

Geretsried – Focus on mandatory tasks, no more making wishes: With this in mind, the city council founded the budget consolidation working group in 2021.

He should make suggestions as to how the municipality can remain efficient in the long term.

The body is a thorn in the side of some city councillors, which became clear once again at the most recent meeting.

There, Gerhard Meinl (CSU), chairman of the working group, submitted a comprehensive application to generate work orders for the non-quorate body.

The city council narrowly rejected this with a vote of 12:14.

The parliamentary group members of the CSU and Hans Hopfner (SPD) voted for this.

Gerhard Meinl Third Mayor, CSU City Councilor and Chairman of the Budget Consolidation Working Group.

"Muzzle?" Mayor contradicts © archive

Strained finances in Geretsried - application for budget consolidation is rejected anyway

The most noticeable thing for citizens was the increase in the dog tax that the main and finance committee decided last year.

The suggestion came from the working group.

However, Meinl recalled further measures that had been initiated by the committee.

"The principle of funding decisions when looking at the assets of the clubs, the citing of realistic budget estimates, and we have adjusted the depreciation for the indoor pool," listed the third mayor.

With a view to the current economic situation, Meinl, who repeatedly warns of the need for drastic savings in view of the feared recession, suggested preparing a strategy workshop for decisions by the city council.

They are to be met in good time before the local elections.

Stress scenarios for the city: working group wants to protect itself

For the workshop, stress scenarios were to be developed for income, costs and liability issues.

The working group wanted to present key figures for investment and consumption expenditure per inhabitant and to look at the investment needs of the municipality for the next 15 years, well beyond the usual financial planning period of four years.

Finally, Meinl asked the working group to be commissioned to develop overall strategic target planning and financing planning in order to ensure the implementation of investments.

Some non-members of the working group are dissatisfied that it apparently did not provide sufficient information.

When the budget was decided at the beginning of the year, Heiko Hawla (Free Voters) had already criticized the fact that the working group had met behind closed doors.

Kerstin Halba (SPD) took up this as well.

"I can only go along with the motion if the members are allowed to inform their groups," she said.

Patrik Kohlert (Geretsrieder Liste) also said: "I find the working group borderline when it comes to the principle of publicity." All topics could also be discussed in the main and finance committees.

Mayor Michael Müller (CSU): "There is no muzzle"

Mayor Michael Müller (CSU) disagreed decisively.

There was no "muzzle".

But members had already called members of the association from the meeting when their funding model was being discussed.

"It can't be the case that information is released before the discussion process is complete," the town hall boss said.

Meinl added: "Non-members were admitted." Beate Paulerberg (Greens) could not let that stand.

"I wanted to listen.

As a representative, I need to know.

But I wasn't admitted," she recalled.

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Detlev Ringer (Greens) also did not agree with Meinl's application in terms of content, especially with regard to the consideration of a period of 15 years.

“So much is in flux at the moment.

We can be happy if we can plan two years in advance.” Ringer described a stress test as “currently superfluous”.

"We slide from one crisis to the next," agreed Ann-Kathrin Güner (Free Voters).

And considering the fact that "we don't even know what's going to happen next year," it's an "insane work order," added Hawla.

If the majority of the city council has its way, it won't exist.